The Death in the Family
by MNtoSoCal
Summary: What happens when one of the Jeffersonian's own becomes a victim of serial killer who kidnaps and tortures his victims? How does this affect the various members of the team?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey, so this is my first fan fic ever...not just for Bones. I've been working on this for a while, and I was unsure whether or not publish. But I just saw the new Bones promo for season 6, and that kind of motivated me a little. Plus made me sad that we still have to wait A MONTH til the season premiere.**

**Anyways, I'm not that great of a writer (I've been told that numerous times), but it gave me something to do during the summer as I anxiously awaited the start of my senior year of college...which starts on Monday! I hope you give this story a chance. Oh, and flashbacks will be italicized. ENJOY!**

Chapter 1:

"Hey Bones!" Booth shouted as he walked into the lab. "Let's go, we've got a case."

Brennan looked up from where she was on the platform. She had been studying the remains of a Revolutionary War soldier all morning. Turning to one of her interns she said, "Mr. Bray, please continue working on this. And see if you can get Angela to do a facial reconstruction so we can get a sense of what he may have looked like." She left it at that as she walked down the stairs towards her partner. They walked in companionable silence as she went to grab her things from her office.

Placing his hand on the small of her back, Booth led Brennan through the doors of the Jeffersonian and towards his black SUV. Shortly after they got onto the road, Booth began to explain the case. "A body was found at Rock Creek Park under a bridge near Beach Drive. A couple of high school kids found it when they were hiking in the woods."

Brennan ignored Booth, as she stared out the window deep in thought. She tried to pay attention, but her mind kept wandering to the conversation she had with Angela last night.

_"Hey sweetie," Angela said as she walked into Brennan's office with an amused look on her face._

_"Oh, hello Ange," Brennan said as she shifted uncomfortably in her desk chair. She knew the reason her best friend was here, but she wasn't quite ready to have this conversation._

_"So, what was that?" She asked. "You know, that whole thing with Booth out on the platform?" Angela was referring to an overly hostile argument she'd overheard between herself and Booth earlier that day._

_"It was nothing." Brennan replied. "I was just a little upset with Booth. We were arguing, like we always do."_

_"No, not like you always do, Bren" Angela said. "You were all happy and excited when the two of you got here. Booth got a phone call, and then you were practically giving him the cold shoulder. And when you did talk to him, you were kinda yelling. Sweetie, what's going on?"_

_"Ugh," Brennan said as she covered her face from embarrassment. "I was not yelling! I was just talking rather loudly." She looked at her best friend and realized that trying to avoid the conversation any further was futile. "I'm not quite sure what that was about, Ange."_

_"Yes you do, Bren." Angela stated. "And I'm pretty damn sure it had something to do with that phone call he got. Who was that anyway?"_

_Knowing she couldn't get out of this, Brennan decided to tell Angela about Booth's phone call, and consequently, his upcoming date. "Her name is Ava. Booth is going out to dinner with her on Friday night. I'm not quite sure why, but for some reason, it upsets me."_

_"Sweetie," Angela began, "it upsets you because you're in love with Booth. You wish he were taking you out to dinner and not her."_

_"What!" Brennan replied, "Your assumption is ridiculous. I'm not in love with Booth."_

_"Whatever you say, sweetie," Angela said as she turned towards the door. When she got to the door, she paused and turned back to Brennan. "You might not be ready to acknowledge it, but you are most definitely in love with Agent Studly. And despite his date on Friday, I'm fairly certain he's in love with you too." And with that, Angela left Brennan alone with her thoughts._

Deep down, she knew Angela was right. Every time Booth came around, she felt a surge of electricity pulse through her body. She knew it could be explained away by saying that it was a chemical reaction in her brain caused by her physical attraction to Booth. But it was more than that. She always felt safe with Booth. She really liked spending time with him. She knew Booth accepted her for who she was, for the most part anyway. And his upcoming date with Ava was tearing her up inside. But she'll never let anybody know this, especially not Booth. Ever.

"Bones? Hey, are you listening to me!" Booth said in an attempt to regain his partner's attention. "Earth to Bones..."

"What!" Brennan asked, startled. "I...I don't know what that means."

"No, of course you don't," Booth replied. "Did you hear me about the body?"

"Um, yes," Brennan said absently. "A body was found in a park."

"Yes," Booth said. "The FBI thinks it may be the body of a Georgetown student who went missing last week. She was snatched from campus, last seen walking towards the dorms after a party."

Brennan simply nodded at Booth as he continued to inform her about the case.

"Is everything okay there, Bones?" Booth asked, sneaking at sideways glance toward his partner. She normally wasn't this quiet with him. Or this reluctant to listen to details about a case.

"Yes," she said, "I was just thinking about some things."

"Anything you'd like to share with me?" Booth inquired.

"No, it's not important," she replied, leaving Booth to wonder what was going on.

When they got to the crime scene, Brennan immediately went towards the bones as Booth talked to the officers at the scene. After a few minutes, Booth walked up to Brennan and asked, "What do we know, Bones?"

"Well, the victim is female. Less than 30 years of age," Brennan started. "She has several broken bones. I also noticed that she has a head wound. I would definitely say these are not self-inflicted injuries."

"So, we're talking murder here, then, right?"

"That would be my assumption." Brennan concluded. "We need to get her back to the lab for a more extensive examination. It appears that her remains have been eaten by some of the wildlife, so a team should look around for excrement for Hodgins to examine."

"Alright, let's pack it all up and bring it to the Jeffersonian," Booth said aloud to the FBI techs who were on the scene.

**AN: So, what did ya think? Should I continue? I have a couple of more chapters already written, so if y'all are interested enough in this story, I can post them over the next couple of days.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thank you all so much for the Story Alerts. I would especially like to thank boothiebabe for the review. I'm glad to see that there is at least some interest in this story :) Since there is some interest...as promised here is another chapter! **

**In this chapter, I mention a baseball bat manufacturing company called Aero Fuse. This is not an actual company, although Nike does make a baseball bat model named Aerofuse. My major has nothing to do with science, so if I get some things wrong, I'm sorry. Just let me know and I'll try to fix it in the future. I get to introduce a new character in this chapter. She's become a character I like very much and I hope you do too :) Enjoy!**

Chapter 2:

Two days later and the team had exhausted every resource they had before they were able to make positive ID on the victim. The FBI was correct in their assumption that this was the student who vanished one night after a party. The victim was Josslyn Davis, an 18 year old freshman at Georgetown University who was majoring in Comparative Literature. Booth got her missing persons report from the FBI and found out that she was reported missing by her roommate. She has no known family, as her father passed away last month. Shortly after getting a positive ID on the victim, Booth and Brennan left to go interview some of the victim's friends and professors.

Meanwhile, Brennan had left Mr. Nigel-Murray in charge of the remains to find the cause of death, while Mr. Bray continued to work on some of the remains from limbo.

"So, what do we have so far?" Cam asked as she made her way up the platform.

"All of the broken bones on the victim appear to have occurred shortly before time of death," Mr. Nigel-Murray informed Cam. "All of them show some signs of remodeling, with the exception of a couple of broken ribs and the injury to the head, which occurred perimortem."

"They occurred at the time of death?" Cam asked.

"Yes," Mr. Nigel-Murray replied. "It would appear that the fractured ribs occurred as the victim's parietal bone was struck with something cylindrical that is approximately 2 5/8 inches in diameter."

"Do we know what that might be yet?" Cam asked the young intern.

"Did you know roughly 70% of Americans have visited either Disney World or Disneyland?" Mr. Nigel-Murray asked, quite flustered.

"So, we're going with, what, Mickey Mouse as the cause of death?" Cam asked, heavy sarcasm noticeable in her tone.

"No, um, Dr. Hodgins is working with the particulates to identify exactly what was used to create such a head wound."

"Okay, good work," Cam commended the intern. "Anything else?"

"Yes, the victim's shoulder was dislocated post mortem, probably as the killer was moving the body to be dumped at the park," Mr. Nigel-Murray continued. "And given the number of injuries that occurred near the time of death, I would surmise that she was tortured."

"Alright," Cam said solemnly. "I'll inform Dr. Brennan when she gets back here."

Just then, the familiar ding of the security perimeter sounded as someone swiped their way onto the platform.

"Good afternoon, Cam," a friendly voice said.

Cam turned around to greet the smiling young woman. "Morgan, you're here early today." Cam walked over to the girl and took her into a motherly-like embrace. "How come?" Cam asked suspiciously as she pulled back from the embrace, all the while keeping her hands on Morgan's shoulders.

"Oh," Morgan replied as she let herself free from Cam, "that's because I asked for an earlier shift today 'cause I got a shift at the bar later on tonight." Trying to divert Cam's attention away from her job at the sketchy bar, Morgan turned her attention to Mr. Nigel-Murray. "Who might you be?"

"Mr. Nigel-Murray," he replied, smiling as he stuck out his had. Morgan returned his smile as she shook it. "But you can call me Vincent."

At this point, Cam explained to Morgan, "Vincent is one of Dr. Brennan's interns." Turning her attention to Mr. Nigel-Murray, she said, "Morgan is a friend of Michelle's. I helped her get a job here doing custodial work to help her earn a little extra money for college. Apparently, she also works two other jobs, along with being a full time student. One job is at a bar downtown-which I ask her every day to quit-and the other is at restaurant near campus."

"Oh, may I ask where you attend university?" Vincent said.

"I'm a junior over at Georgetown," Morgan replied. "I'm double majoring in philosophy and art history," she boasted.

"Impressive," Vincent stated. "Did you know that when asked about whom his favorite political philosopher was, Present George W. Bush stated that it was Jesus?"

"And on that interesting note, we should really get going so we can all get back to work," Cam said as she started to guide Morgan down the steps.

"It was very nice to meet you, Morgan," Vincent said.

"Yeah, you too!" Morgan said as she looked over her shoulder and flashed him a smile.

"Who was that!" Wendell asked as he came to stand next to Vincent on the platform.

Vincent didn't answer Wendell. He just stood there speechless as they both watched the most beautiful girl they'd ever seen disappear down the hallway with Cam. If would be a long time before either of them could stop thinking about her gorgeous hazel eyes and wavy, strawberry blonde hair.

oOo

Booth and Brennan arrived back at the Jeffersonian a few hours later, after getting very little helpful information out of the victim's friends. Josslyn Davis seemed to have no enemies. Apparently, she was a straight-A student, never did drugs or drank alcohol, and was loved by everyone. Grabbing the latest paperwork from Cam, they headed into Brennan's office to talk some more about the case.

"So what did the squint squad find out while we were gone?" Booth inquired as he sat down on Brennan's couch.

"It appears as if the victim had been tortured within a few days prior to her death. She was killed by being struck over the head." Brennan said while she was looking over the paperwork. She sat down on the couch next to Booth.

"Do we have any idea as to what the murder weapon may is?"

"I believe Hodgins is still analyzing the particulates found in the head wound." Brennan replied. Just then, Morgan knocked on Brennan's office door and walked inside without waiting for permission to enter.

"Hey, sorry to bother you two, but Dr. Hodgins sent me to tell ya that he found something." Morgan said.

Brennan and Booth immediately made their way over to where Cam and Mr. Nigel-Murray were gathered around Hodgins.

"Dr. Hodgins, what did you find?" Brennan asked.

"Well, it's not much," Hodgins began, "but there were trace amounts of a blue colored metal found in the wound on the victim's head. I analyzed the sample and, as it turns out, the metal is an aluminum alloy. But not just any aluminum alloy, this one is aircraft grade."

"Meaning what, exactly?" Booth asked. "The victim was hit in the head with an airplane?"

"Exactly what other elements were in the alloy?" Brennan asked, ignoring Booth's question in favor of her own.

"Mainly the typical elements of Zinc, Copper, and Magnesium," Hodgins started as he clicked at his computer to bring up a chart to show his boss. "But I also found trace amounts of Zirconium."

As Hodgins was explaining the results of his analysis to Cam and Brennan, Mr. Nigel-Murray leaned over to Booth and said, "Did you know that intelligent people have more Zinc and Copper in their hair than people with lesser intellects?"

Booth just rolled his eyes as he returned to listening to the squints discuss the aluminum alloy.

"Zirconium...wait, is this alloy a 7050 aluminum alloy?" Brennan asked.

"Yes, I believe it is." Hodgins started to reply.

"Now what does that mean?" Booth interrupted as he started to get frustrated by all the squint speak.

"The report Cam gave me said the cause of death was an injury to the parietal bone. Mr. Nigel-Murray said that whatever caused this, was cylindrical in shape, with a diameter of 2 5/8 inches," Brennan began to explain to Booth. "This murder weapon was made of an aluminum alloy commonly found in aircraft, but can also be found in baseball bats."

"So the murder weapon is a baseball bat." Booth concluded as he finally caught on to what the squints already knew. "Lots of people have access to an aluminum bat, Bones." Booth told her. "This doesn't help get us any closer to finding out who the murderer is."

"I told you it wasn't much," Hodgins reminded Booth. "But, I can tell you that aluminum bats of this grade can get pretty expensive."

"Alright, it's a start," Booth said feeling like they were getting nowhere, fast, with this case.

"Wait, there's more," Angela said as she made her way up the platform. "I just got done with the analysis of the blue paint from the metal that Hodgins found."

"Okay, Ange," Brennan said. "What did you find."

"Well, sweetie," Angela started, "I found that this paint belongs to a company called Aero Fuse, which is manufacturing sports equipment that is targeted towards schools to help the teams show some off some school spirit."

"Okay, let me guess," Booth said, "this color belongs to Georgetown?"

"Yes it does." Angela stated. "Which means that whoever the murderer is, has to have access to the sports equipment over at Georgetown."

"Finally something I can work with" Booth said, exasperated. "I'll head back to my office to see what I can find out about who has access to the baseball equipment at the university."

"Great work Ange, Dr. Hodgins," Brennan said as turned to the autopsy table to take another look at the victim's bones.

As Booth made his way out of the Jeffersonian and to his SUV, his cell phone rang. "Booth," he said as he answered his phone.

"Agent Booth," Deputy Director Cullen said. "When is the soonest you can get back to the Hoover?"

"I'm leaving the Jeffersonian right now, sir," Booth said. "I can be there in 10-15 minutes."

"Hurry up," Cullen replied. "I have something I need to show you."

**AN: So...what'd you think? Are you still interested in this story? Please let me know if you think the characters are too OOC. I have the next chapter ready, so I can post it soon if there's enough interest. Please review and let me know what ya'll think ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I downgraded this story to a T rating, although I may upgrade it back up to M at a later time. Thank you again for the story alerts, and another special thank you to boothiebabe for the review. You rock! Sorry there wasn't much B&B last chapter, but that is changing. I just needed to introduce Morgan's character to get things moving in the direction I needed them to go. This is the longest chapter yet, so I hope you enjoy it!**

Chapter 3:

Booth arrived at the Hoover within the time frame he gave to his boss. He parked his car and quickly traveled inside and took the elevator upstairs. When the elevator reached his floor, he walked straight to Cullen's office. As soon as Booth knocked at the door, Cullen waved him inside.

"About time you got here," Cullen said. Booth could see that Cullen was extremely angry about something. His voice was deeper, slightly shaky. Waves of anger were radiating from his every movement. Cullen stood up from his desk chair and started pacing behind his desk. "This got here about an hour ago," Cullen informed Booth, pointing down to a disk that was sitting on top of a plain yellow envelope.

"Okay," Booth said. "What is it?"

"It's a DVD." Cullen began to explain. He clenched his fists before he continued talking through gritted teeth. "It arrived shortly after the press leaked the name of your victim that was found in the park."

"A DVD?" Booth asked, his curiosity peaking. "Did you watch it yet? What's on it?"

Cullen let out a deep sigh before he said, "Yeah, I watched it. And it's pretty graphic too."

Booth just stood there waiting for Cullen to continue.

"It seems that the murderer thought he'd give us a little present." Cullen said, emphasizing the word 'present' with sarcasm. "The video shows Ms. Davis. Being raped. Tortured. And when she asked for mercy, he finally gave up on his torture by swinging a baseball bat, hitting her in the back of the head. Probably killing her."

"Bastard," Booth said, clenching his jaw as turned his gaze down to the floor. "Bones said that the cause of death was a baseball bat to the head."

"I need that artist friend of yours at the Jeffersonian to analyze this." Cullen stated. "See if she can get anything off of this that may point the murderer. Or at least to the location of the murder."

"With all due respect, sir, I'm not sure she'd be able to handle watching this." Booth informed his boss. "She's not a squint, or even like you and me. She's not used to seeing the violence that people do to each other."

"I know it'll be rough, but we need to find the killer" Cullen said. "And this seems to be just about our only lead."

Booth knew when he was being dismissed. Cullen had made up his mind, and it was up to Booth to get the answers his boss was looking for.

oOo

It was almost 5 o'clock by the time Booth arrived at the Jeffersonian with the DVD. He had watched it before leaving the Hoover, in an effort to help prepare Angela and the rest of the team for what they would be seeing in the video. He walked through the doors and made a beeline to Brennan's office. He walked in, without knocking, and effectively interrupted a heated discussion between Brennan and the new girl, Morgan. But not before observing the situation with admiration. God, Bones knew exactly how to drive him crazy, but in a good way.

"That's completely illogical," Brennan half stated, half yelled. "There is no scientific evidence to support your claim that love is some sort of mystical experience. Love is nothing more than a physical response the brain creates when it reacts to stimuli, such as pheromones and other aspects of intense physical attraction. And in that case, it's merely lust, which means there's no such thing as love. This 'love' you talk about is nothing more than an evolutionary process meant to further the species."

"Yeah, that is one view people hold," Morgan calmly stated to defend her position. "But you need to realize that there are many other, equally valid, viewpoints out there. To me, love is a complete mystery. It can't be explained. Plato tried to, and it made him look like an idiot-you and I can at least agree that humans were never actually made of 4 arms, 4 legs, and 2 faces. The point is that love runs much deeper than chemical processes in the brain. Love ain't just a physical attraction, it is an emotional connection. Science just can't explain it."

Booth decided it was time to intervene, so he cleared his throat. "Um, sorry to interrupt, Bones," he began, "but I kinda need to talk to you, alone, before I go ask Angela to do something for me."

"Well, I guess that's my cue to go," Morgan said with a large smile on her face as she stood up from her position on the couch. Turning to look from Booth to Brennan and back again, she said, "Now that I got ya all heated up and thinkin' about love, I feel the need to inform you that, as much as everyone in the lab wants the two of you to hook up, these walls are paper thin, and the office is made up entirely of windows. That doesn't really give ya'll much privacy."

She smiled her adorable mischievous grin as she walked past a very uncomfortable FBI agent, as he said, "Thanks for that, little Ange. You really should stop hanging around Angela so much, you know."

"What fun would that be?" She asked, sly grin gracing her lips. Before she left, she turned to Brennan and said, "Oh, and thanks for another stimulating philosophical debate, Dr. Brennan."

When Morgan finally left the office, Booth closed the door and walked over to take a seat on the couch next to Brennan.

"How often, exactly, do you have these philosophical debates with Morgan?" Booth asked, a cocky grin present on his face.

"Lately, we've been having quite a great deal of them, actually." Brennan replied. "Despite her lack of concern for grammar in everyday discourse, she is quite intelligent and very passionate about the field of philosophy. I find that I'm constantly intrigued by all of her viewpoints on such ordinary and mundane topics such as love, beauty, language, religion, and even human nature."

"Wow, Bones." Booth stated. "I'm proud of you for making friends with the kid. I was talking to her the other day, you know, asking her why she chose philosophy, of all things, to major in. She told me the reason is because it takes logic, emotions, theory, the unexplainable mystery and brings them all together in a beautiful way. She said that despite some of the crazy theories, logic is the basis for every philosopher. It's no wonder the two of you would get along so well."

"Yes, I guess that does give us some common ground that I do not share with most people," Brennan said, a small smile gracing her beautiful lips. "Booth, what brought you back here today? Don't you have a date or something to get ready for?"

"Yeah, Bones. I do," Booth replied. He was starting to get irritated with Brennan. How could this one women make him go from complete adoration to total frustration in less than a minute?

"So, are you going to tell me?" Brennan asked as she stood up and walked over to sit at her desk. She turned her attention to the computer as Booth began to answer.

"A DVD was mailed to the Hoover," Booth said. "I believe it was sent by our murderer. It shows Josslyn Davis right before her death. I need you guys to take a look at it and see if you can get any evidence from it."

"Okay," Brennan said. "Give it to Hodgins so he can look for any particulates and DNA. Then have Angela take a look at it."

"Yeah, I was gonna do that," Booth replied, "but I need to talk to you about it first, okay?"

Brennen turned her complete attention back to Booth and let out a sigh before answering, "Fine. What is it you want from me?" Boy, was that a loaded question.

"I watched this, and it's pretty graphic," Booth began to explain. "You need to do your job as best friend and be there for Angela while she watches it. She's gonna need all the support she can get."

"Okay," Brennan said without argument. "Go give it to Hodgins and then I'll head over to Angela's office. You know, you do not have to stay here during this. Go home and get ready for your date."

"Bones, I'm not gonna leave," Booth said, irritated. "I just gotta go make a phone call, explain everything, and reschedule."

At that, Brennan couldn't help the small smile that graced her lips at the thought of Booth canceling his date to be with her, even if it was only for work.

"You don't have to do that, Booth," she half-heartedly protested, despite the fact that she was happy with his decision.

"Yeah, I do." Booth replied. "I'm not gonna make you do this by yourself. We're partners, remember? That's what we do. We make sure we're there for each other."

Without speaking another word, they left her office to hand the envelope and DVD over to Hodgins. Booth made his phone call, while Brennan walked over to Angela's office.

"Sweetie," Angela greeted her, "you look happy."

"Not any more than usual," Brennan stated, oblivious to the smile that was growing wider across her face.

"Uh huh," Angela said, looking at Brennan skeptically.

The two girls went to take a seat at the couch inside of the office. Brennan went on the explain to Angela about the DVD that the FBI wanted them to analyze. Out of the blue, Brennan told Angela, "Booth canceled his date for tonight, you know."

"Oh he did, did he?" Angela said, not the least bit surprised. She knew that Booth was madly in love with Brennan, which made it so hard to believe he was seriously interested in this, or any other, woman.

"Yeah," Brennan said. But before she could continue, Booth walked into the room with Hodgins and the DVD. Cam and Mr. Nigel-Murray followed closely behind.

They watched the video about twenty times, helping Angela analyze all the gory details of the 15 minutes video. Cam and Vincent left after the second time through, stating that they needed to get back to work, when in reality they just couldn't handle seeing the poor girl in pain. Hodgins stayed next to Angela the entire time, being the shoulder she cried on during the most graphic parts of the DVD.

At about midnight, the four of them finished watching the DVD. They hadn't gotten much evidence from it, and they knew they weren't going to get much more from it tonight. For one thing, it was very poor quality. It was also filmed from quite a distance, but not too far that the team couldn't see every painful and terrified expression coming from Josslyn's face. What they had gotten from the film was that the murder occurred in what appeared to be either an abandoned building or a basement. The victim was sitting on a concrete floor and was tied to a pipe that protruded from the wall. They were also able to conclude that the murderer was at least 5'7, given the height difference between himself and the victim.

"Ange?" Brennan asked looking over at her best friend, who was wiping a few final tears from her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sweetie. I'm fine," Angela said. "It's just...this has been a tough night, you know."

"Yes," Brennan said. She glanced over to Booth, who was making small talk with Hodgins near the doorway. "Did you want to come stay at my place tonight, so you don't have to be alone? We could get that ice cream you really like. Have a girl's night." Brennan didn't know if it was the right thing to say under the circumstances, but she was trying to be a good friend. Angela looked terrible, and she knew that Angela shouldn't be alone that night. Heck, who was she kidding. After spending hours watching a poor, young girl be tortured to death, she didn't exactly want to be alone that night either. She snuck another glance towards Booth as she thought of this.

"No, sweetie. I'm fine, but thank you," Angela said. "Hodgins said that he wanted me to stay with him tonight."

"Are you back together with Hodgins?" Brennan inquired. She knew that Angela and Hodgins had an on-again, off-again relationship, but as far as she knew, they hadn't been 'on' in quite some time.

"No, we're not," Angela said, somewhat sadly. "He's just being a good friend. Plus I don't think he should be alone tonight anymore than I should. You shouldn't be alone tonight either, Bren."

"I'm fine." Brennan said, once again sneaking a glance toward her partner. This time, her eyes found his and they shared a glance for a few moments before he turned his attention back to Hodgins.

Angela, as perceptive as she is, picked up on that little look between the partners. "Why don't you just ask him, Bren? He'll understand."

"I...I can't, Ange," Brennan said. "I'll be fine tonight."

Just then, Booth and Hodgins walked back towards the ladies.

"Are you ready to go, Ange?" Hodgins asked.

"Yeah, just let me grab my things," Angela replied. When she picked up her purse and coat, she she nodded sideways towards Booth and mouthed 'ask him' to Brennan before turning to Hodgins and heading out the door.

"So..." Booth started to say.

"I really should get home," Brennan interrupted him as she bit her bottom lip. "I should get some sleep before I come back in here tomorrow."

"Tomorrow's Saturday, Bones," Booth said. "Why don't you take the day off? You know, relax, regroup a little, that way you can come back on Monday fully refreshed."

"I have too much work to do, Booth," Brennan stated. "Not only should I be working on this case, but I still have plenty of remains from limbo that I have somehow managed to let myself neglect. Plus my publishers are pressuring me to finish my next book."

"Yeah, okay," Booth said, somewhat disappointed. "At least let me drive you home tonight."

"But my car is here," Brennan started to protest. "And if I'm coming back in tomorrow, I'm gonna need it."

"I'll give you a ride tomorrow morning then too," Booth said. "I'll drop you off on my way to pick up Parker from Rebecca's house."

Brennan knew arguing about this with Booth would get her nowhere, so she reluctantly agreed. Brennan led Booth to her office so she could pick up her things. Once she was sure she had everything, they started their journey to the parking structure. Booth placed his hand on the small of her back as he guided her towards his car.

The roads were relatively clear this time of night, so they got to Brennan's apartment building in no time. Despite Brennan's protests, Booth walked Brennan up to her apartment. After everything they saw tonight, he was reluctant to let his partner out of his sight. "Are you sure you're okay to be alone?" he asked, hoping that she would ask him to stay with her.

"Yes," she stated as she turned the key to open her door. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"I know that, Bones," Booth replied. He saw the look of determination in her eyes, so he decided it would be best if he left. "If you need anything, give me a call, alright?"

Brennan nodded, so Booth turned around and started walking back towards the elevator. Deep down, Brennan wanted to ask Booth to stay. She wanted to tell him that she was afraid, and that she needed him. She really wanted to tell him that she was in love with him and that she wanted to give them a try. But at the same time, she'll never want him to know any of that. The fear of being dependent upon someone wrestled with her inner desire for love and protection.

'Oh, heck with it' she thought. "Booth, wait!"

At the sound of her voice, he paused at the end of the hallway, just short of the elevator doors. He turned around just in time to see tears threatening to fall from Brennan's eyes.

**AN: Well, well, well...what's gonna happen next! You'll have to wait to find out, but I will tell ya that the next chapter has plenty of B&B in it ;) I should hopefully have the next chapter up in a couple of days. If you're good, it may be up sometime tomorrow afternoon...hahaha! **


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I cannot say thank you enough for all of the reviews and story alerts. Like I said this is my first fan fic, so I'm really excited y'all are into it :) In fact, when I saw that I had a total of 4 reviews, I ran through the house doing a happy dance and singing "I got 4 reviews! I got 4 reviews" over and over again. It really confused my roommates ;) **

_Chapter 4:_

_"Booth, wait!" He paused at the end of the hallway, just short of the elevator doors. He turned around just in time to see tears threatening to fall from Brennan's eyes._

Booth turned around at the sound of her voice. She sounded scared, vulnerable. He locked eyes with her and saw that her beautiful blue eyes were full of tears. He couldn't stand seeing her in pain. Wordlessly, he walked toward Brennan, his eyes never leaving hers. It seemed as if everything was happening in slow motion. He couldn't get back to her fast enough.

As soon as the words had left her mouth, she regretted them. She was on the verge of tears, torn by the decision about whether or not to tell Booth about her feelings. She stood there, frozen as she waited for a reaction from Booth. When Booth merely stood at the end of the hallway, she started to panic. But moments later, he started walking toward her. As soon as he got to her, he took her in an embrace. Taking comfort in the safety she felt with his arms wrapped around her, she let a few tears fall down her face. He whispered soothing words into her ear as he held her close. For the first time in a while, she felt peaceful. Almost like things were finally exactly how they were supposed to be. She couldn't explain it, but somehow time stood still.

A few minutes later, she pulled back from the embrace. Booth's eyes met her own, and they had an understanding. She wasn't quite sure what that understanding was, but whatever it was, it meant that Booth wasn't leaving her tonight. Without either of them saying a word, Booth followed Brennan into the house and shut the door behind them. Placing his hand on the small of her back, he guided her over to the sofa. After she sat down, he walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water.

"Here," Booth said, handing Brennan the glass of water when he re-entered the living room, effectively breaking the silence. "Drink up."

She took the glass from him, without saying a word. The nerves had her so shook up, she wasn't able to form any coherent thoughts, let alone be able to have a conversation. Booth sat down on the couch next to her, watching as she took a big drink. She set the glass down on the coffee table before turning to him.

The minute she looked him in they eyes, she could see his concern. She saw something more, but wasn't quite sure what it was. She hoped it was love, but how could it be. He had told her that he wanted to give them a try, and she had turned him down. He moved on with Ava. How on earth could he possibly be in love with someone who was too scared to take a chance.

So they just sat there on the couch watching each other, neither saying a word. Subconsciously, their bodies were inching closer to each other. Neither realizing what was happening until it was too late. She didn't know who made the first move. Perhaps it was her, but it could just have easily been him. Their lips met, hesitant at first, but then moving into a passion that built quickly. His tongue asked for entrance into her mouth, which she granted immediately. He put his hand in her hair, pulling her deeper into the kiss. She grabbed the collar of his suit jacket, pulling their bodies close together as they fell backwards, so they were laying on the couch.

They stayed that way for a while, him on top of her, letting their passion take control. It wasn't until they needed air that they finally broke apart. Once again, they made eye contact. She saw the desire in his eyes, the same concern from earlier, and that other thing she still wasn't quite sure of. He saw it in her eyes the minute she processed what happened between them, the panic entering every fiber of her being.

"B..Booth," Brennan said. Her voice was weak and shaky. "I...I can't do this."

"Bones..." Booth pleaded. "Please don't shut me out."

"I...I...I can't," she replied. "Not now. I shouldn't have asked you stay."

"You didn't," Booth reminded her. "I wanted to stay here, to be here for you." He knew everything she had wanted to say to him the minute he looked in her eyes tonight. He saw the vulnerability and the fear. But most importantly, he saw the love. The same love that he felt for her. It had been an emotional day, so he didn't want to pressure her into having this conversation tonight. He didn't want her to close up and run away the minute she regained control of her emotions.

"Listen," he started, "It's been a long, stressful day. Why don't you go shower and then try to get some sleep. I'll be right here on this couch if you need anything."

She let out a small laugh at this. "You shouldn't sleep on the couch, Booth. It's bad for your back."

"I'm sure I can handle it for one night, Bones. I'll be fine. Now go get some rest."

She did as he instructed her to do. It really had been a long day. And frankly, she was glad he hadn't pressured her into having the one conversation she was not quite ready to have. The one conversation she didn't think she'd ever be ready to have. So, here she was, walking down the hallway and into the bathroom to take a shower in the hopes of washing away all the emotions that have reared their ugly heads during the course of this stressful day. She quickly finished her nightly routine, and as soon as she laid on her bed, exhaustion took over her body. She was sound asleep in a matter of minutes.

Booth made himself at home on the sofa. Brennan still didn't have a TV, so he was left with just his thoughts. And Lord, were they good thoughts. Just a few feet away, Brennan was in the shower. He had dreamt of her in the shower many times before, fantasized really. The water running down her porcelain skin. The soap leaving a pleasing scent on her body. Her wet hair sticking to her face. The feel of her lips as she kissed him passionately.

Booth was startled out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of the water shutting off. He let his thoughts dwell on her wet, porcelain skin just few moments longer. He swallowed hard at the thought of Bones in the shower as he felt a tightness down in his pants. He decided that he was not going to let himself think about _that_ any more tonight. He didn't want to risk Bones walking in and seeing little Booth standing at the ready.

A few minutes later, he heard Brennan come out of the bathroom and enter her bedroom. Once again, his thoughts drifted off to Brennan, specifically Brennan in her bed. God, he wished he was in there with her. He wanted to know what if felt like to have her in his arms as they drifted off into sleep after a very satisfying go-around in the sack. He let himself fall asleep with those very happy thoughts running through his mind.

oOo

Sometime after drifting off into a peaceful sleep, he was awakened by a strangled cry. He was disoriented the first few moments after opening his eyes. But the cries for help coming from the other room quickly brought him crashing back to reality. He jumped up off the couch and ran towards Brennan's bedroom.

When he opened the door and threw on the light, the sight he saw scared the living daylights out of him. Brennan's expression was one of pure pain. She had tears streaming down her face and was thrashing about her bed. Both of her hands were clenched into fists. Her knuckles were white from how tightly they were closed. He heard her her scream again, the words unrecognizable, but full of fear.

Booth ran over to Brennan's bed and tried to wake her. He sat down next to her, resting his hands on her shoulders, occasionally bringing them up to touch her face. "Bones, Bones, it's me. Wake up. It's just a dream, wake up," he pleaded. Tears were beginning to form in his own eyes at the sight of _his _Bones in such pain. "Bones, please. Wake up."

He felt Brennan began to stir under his hands. She opened her eyes, looked at him with a startled expression. Realizing where she was and that she wasn't actually being tortured (as she was in her nightmare), she let herself lean into Booth for a hug. He held her close, whispering calming words into her ear as he ran his fingers through her hair. For the second time that night, Brennan let herself cry in his arms.

"It's okay, baby, I'm here," Booth was whispering into her ear. "I'm no going anywhere. I'm right here, baby." He placed a soft kiss into her hair, neither of them commenting on either the terms of endearment he was using or the kiss.

When she was finally able to compose herself, or at least stop most of the tears, she pulled away from Booth. The two of them sat there looking into each other's eyes, neither wanting to break the silence, but both eager to say something.

Booth was the first to speak. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Brennan let her gaze fall slightly, then shook her head. "I'm fine, Booth."

"No, you're not, Bones," Booth said. "Or at least you weren't. I've never seen you so scared before."

"Ugh, I'm fine, Booth," Brennan stated, her voice raising from irritation. "It was just a nightmare."

"Well, do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Brennan said as she shook her head, her voice a little softer.

"Okay." Booth said, not pushing the matter. Looking at the clock, he realized that it was only 3 am. "Why don't you try to fall back asleep. We've still got a few hours until we need to be up."

Booth stood up from his spot on the bed and started to walk towards the door. When he reached the door, he heard her softly say something. He turned back quickly, eyeing her suspiciously. "What did you say?"

"Booth, stay," she said, her voice slightly stronger. "Please?"

One look into her eyes and he knew he was a goner. Once again he saw the fear and vulnerability. There was no way he would be leaving Temperance Brennan's bedroom tonight.

It was then that he realized he'd never really been inside her bedroom before. It was exactly how he'd pictured it. The brick walls were painted in warm shade of brown. Her king sized bed had a black headboard and was decorated with white sheets and big, fluffy pillows. There were knick-knacks, which most likely held some sort of anthropological significance, on display throughout the room. He didn't fail to notice a picture of Bones, Parker, and himself sitting on her nightstand.

He slowly walked back towards her bed, pulled the covers down, and slid in next to her. Only then did he realize he only wearing his pants. He had stripped out of his shirt before falling asleep on the couch. He looked at his partner and realized that she didn't have on much of anything either. Apparently she likes to sleep in a tiny tank top and very short shorts.

He let himself settle in next to her. He laid on his back, while Brennan was laying on her left side, facing him. The tears were still slowly leaking from her eyes. As soon as he laid his head down, Brennan shifted closer to him, resting her head on his right shoulder while she draped her right arm over his bare abdomen. He let his arm wrap around her. His breathing hitched as he felt her start to draw circles across his stomach.

After a few moments, she backed away slightly, lifting her head up. "Booth?" she spoke, the silence broken once more.

"mmhmm," he mumbled.

"Thank you," she said, moving herself back to her previous position.

Instead of answering, he let his arm wrap around her more securely. He turned his head a laid a quick kiss into her hair, once more. Enjoying the warmth of her body next to his, he silently recited the names of saints as a means to keep himself from getting a little too happy from the feeling of her body pressing into his. 'Yeah, it was definitely a good night,' he thought. For a while they lay there in companionable silence, just listening to each other breathing. It wasn't long before they both slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.

**AN: This chapter didn't go quite the way I had planned, so I was a little reluctant to post it tonight. But I hoped it lived up to your expectations. I couldn't get this chapter to be exactly how I wanted it to be, so I settled for this (after rewriting it several times). The next chapter will most likely be a little shorter, but will pick up the following morning. I hope to have it up really soon. I work at an Animal Sanctuary up in LA every Sunday, so it probably won't be up til late Sunday night! **


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hey! Once again, thank you for the reviews and the alerts. Special shoutout to bootiebabe who has reviewed every chapter so far! This chapter is on the shorter side, and for that I'm sorry. I figured that you'd rather have me post this now, instead of waiting til Tuesday for a slightly longer chapter. So I hope you enjoy it :)**

Chapter 5:

Booth awoke at around 6 o'clock the next morning to find his partner still snuggled up close to him. His arm was still wrapped around her and her arm was resting on his chest. Her right leg had managed to move itself so that it was now laying on top of his. He decided to watch her sleep for a little while. She looked peaceful, much more so than last night. All traces of her nightmare had vanished, and there was even a hint of a smile upon her face. Thinking back on the memories from last night, Booth realized that it wasn't exactly how he had imagined his first night in his partner's bed would be, but he was more than fine with it anyway.

After a few minutes of watching Bones sleep, Booth decided that he should get out of bed. He really didn't want Bones to panic if she woke up and saw the intimacy of their sleeping positions. He walked out of the room and into the bathroom to freshen up. He eventually made his way over to the kitchen to start making breakfast.

Brennan awoke to the smell of pancakes and syrup. She stayed in bed for a while, thinking back of the events that transpired yesterday. Despite everything that happened, she was in an inexplicably good mood.

She finally decided that it was time to get up, so she went to the bathroom to freshen up before walking down the hallway towards the kitchen. When she got there, she saw Booth at the stove cooking pancakes, just as she had expected. She remained quiet, merely watching him, her stomach fluttering from her nerves.

He must've felt her eyes on him, because moments later he turned around. "Well good morning, sleepy head." He grinned at her, immediately making her feel at ease.

"Good morning, Booth," she replied. "Do we have any..."

"Coffee?" he finished for her. "Yeah, take a seat and I'll get you some."

She went to sit down at the kitchen table, picking up some of the case files she brought home with her last night. "Thanks," she said as he handed her the cup of coffee.

He walked back over to the stove and shut the burner off, placing the last few pancakes onto a plate which he then carried over to set on the table. He went to one of the kitchen cabinets and took out a couple more plates, grabbed some silverware, and then brought them over to the table. He chose to sit down across from Brennan, instead of next to her. He wanted to give her a little space, just incase she was going to start to panic.

They each grabbed a small stack of pancakes, put them on their plates, and dug in. They ate in silence. Brennan was focusing on the food on her plate, and Booth was focusing on Brennan, trying to gage her emotions. She appeared to be well rested, a little tense. He couldn't quite tell how she felt about last night. She was acting as if nothing had happened, that nothing had changed between them. But he knew her, and he knew she was being quiet because she wasn't quite sure what to say. She was scared, nervous. She was trying to avoid talking about their kiss. He knew he shouldn't push her, but he needed to know what she was thinking.

"Bones," he began. She looked up from her plate and met his eyes for the first time that morning. "I think we need to talk about last night."

Her heart rate doubled as he mentioned last night. She thought about how needy she had been. She never really meant for anything to happen between them last night. Sure she wanted to kiss him, but she never meant for it to actually happen. She just didn't want to be alone last night. The kiss, mind-blowing as it was, shouldn't have happened. He had a girlfriend. He moved on. He didn't love her. She was stupid. She let her guard down, and now she had to pay the consequences.

"What about it?" she finally asked, resignation evident in her tone.

"Okay, lets start at the beginning," he started. "When we were outside in the hallway, why did you ask me to wait?"

"I'm really not sure, Booth," she replied. "I guess I just didn't really want to be alone. After all, we'd just spent several hours analyzing a video of a young girl who was being raped and tortured. I guess I let it all get to me."

"Yeah, I understand that," Booth said.

"I shouldn't have let myself be affected that much by the case."

"Bones, it's okay to be affected," he explained. The thing about Bones is that she always closely identifies with the victim, whether she knows it or not. "It means your human." When Brennan didn't elaborate any further, he took another bite of his pancakes and moved onto his next question.

"What was your nightmare about, Bones?"

"I already told you, it was nothing, Booth," she said slightly irritated. "It was just a pointless nightmare. Giving it any credence would be delving into psychology. I hate psychology."

"Bones, it's okay to talk about it," Booth said. "I'm here and I want to help you through whatever is bothering you."

"I don't want to talk about it," she stated once again, raising her voice slightly. The last thing she needed him to know was that her dream involved her being tortured in much the same way the victim had been. And she certainly didn't need him knowing that he was the one who was torturing her in the nightmare.

Booth just stared at her, searching for the answers he was seeking in her eyes.

"I mean it, Booth. I'm not talking about it."

He knew she was starting to close off, so he didn't press that topic any further.

"Okay then," Booth said, taking one final bite of his breakfast. "One last question." It was the question that had been hanging in the air between them since last night. The question to which both of them were dreading the answer. "What about the kiss, Bones?"

"It...it shouldn't have happened, Booth." She broke their eye contact at this, choosing to look down as her eyes started to well up with tears. She had wanted the kiss to happen, but she was certain that Booth didn't feel the same way.

"Well, why did it happen, then?"

"I was scared, emotional. I wasn't thinking rationally. And you were there." Brennan stated by way of explanation. _And I think I'm in love with you_, she added in her mind as an afterthought.

"So it was a friendship kiss? Just merely a form of comfort?" Booth asked, the disappointment hitting him like a ton of bricks.

"Yes," Brennan said, still averting his eyes. "Um...it's getting kind of late. I really should get to the lab." She couldn't handle the questioning any more. She couldn't stand the hole that seemed to be forming in her chest as she said that there was nothing more than friendship between them when she desperately wanted there to be so much more, no matter how scared she was of that thought.

Booth was disappointed with her answer, but he thought it best not to push the matter. Brennan was starting to close up, rebuilding her walls, with him on the outside. Despite her answers, he knew how she really felt. He was just hoping that she'd get the courage to finally admit it to him.

"So, are we okay, Bones?" he asked as she got up from the table.

"Yes, why wouldn't we be?" she answered matter of factly. "Um...I'm going to go get ready and then we can leave."

With that, Booth watched Brennan walk out of the kitchen and back down the hall towards her bedroom. He went to the sink and started to clean up the kitchen as he waited for her to get ready. She came out about 10 minutes later wearing a black skirt and a white blouse with a blue shirt on underneath that brought out the color in her eyes. Her hair was curled so that it framed her face perfectly. He was speechless at the beautiful sight in front of him. She went to the table to gather her things, as he waited by the door. Silently, they walked out of her apartment and to his SUV. Neither saying a word all the way to the Jeffersonian.

**AN: Next time, we'll see more of Cam, Vincent, and Morgan. We'll also be seeing Parker. I may even throw in a little Sweets if everything works out ;) Unfortunately, I won't be able to post again until sometime on Tuesday-classes start up again tomorrow and I'll be in class nonstop from 10 am to 10 pm...Anyways, please let me know what ya thought of this chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: YAY! I survived my first day of senior year! And to celebrate, y'all get another chapter! I rushed to get this up while I'm between classes today, so it's not my best work. In all honesty, I feel like the beginning is crap, but it gets better towards the end :) Also, no Sweets in this one, although I did make sure that someone at least mentions him. I love Sweets, but I find him very difficult to write. I'll try to get him in soon, I promise. Enjoy!**

Chapter 6:

As soon as Brennan walked through the doors of the Jeffersonian, she felt a flood of relief wash over her. She was back at home, to her house of logic and science, the place in which she felt the most comfortable. Whenever she was here, she was able to see clearly, to think things through rationally. That is exactly what she needed, given everything that had happened recently.

She walked into her office and set her things down on her desk. She knew she needed to get some work done, so she sat down and started to work on her book. She had left off where Agent Lister and Kathy Reichs had just learned that they were to go undercover as a married couple in Atlantic City. She found that she was unable to focus, her mind kept wandering back to the time when she and Booth went undercover as Roxie and Tony in Vegas. He had called her "hot" when they were in their hotel room. In the privacy of their room, they were no longer Roxie and Tony; they were Booth and Brennan. And Booth had called Brennan "hot." Not Tony calling Roxie "hot." She found her mind focusing on that single fact, which led her to fantasize about what would have happened if she had kissed him while they were in that room.

"This is getting ridiculous," she said aloud to herself as she ran her hands over her face. "You need to get some control over yourself."

Brennan closed down her word document, knowing that there was no way in hell she was going to be able to focus on that today. Instead, she pulled out the case files from the murder of Josslyn Davis. This case had been so incredibly frustrating. They still had no leads, and all they really knew was the victim's name. She decided to pull out the DVD that was sent to the FBI and watched it a few more times. Maybe she had missed something. After all, she is trained in kinesiology. Maybe there is something in the way the murder holds himself, in the way he moves, in the video that would point them in the right direction.

oOo

Michelle followed Cam into the Jeffersonian early that morning. Cam needed to stop by her office to pick something up before the two embarked onto what was bound to be a very expensive shopping trip. Rounding the corner on the way to her office, they spotted Morgan. Morgan was only 3 years older than Michelle. Morgan and Michelle always had a close bond, more like sisters than friends. Michelle ran up to Morgan and pulled her into a giant hug.

"Hey, how you doing?" Michelle asked her friend in a serious tone. Michelle had received a frantic phone call from Morgan in the middle of the night. Her uncle, Kenneth Kaiser, had showed up on her doorstep, only two months after being released from prison for a drug conviction, among other things.

"I'm fine," Morgan replied, sadness coloring her every word as she pulled back from Michelle. "It was just a really tough night, ya know?"

"We understand that, honey," Cam said. "I may not know much about what happened between the two of you, but he is your only family. Perhaps you should hear him out, find out what he wants to say to you." Cam knew that Morgan didn't have much family. She had been left in the custody of her uncle. Her parents had died in a car accident when she was an infant.

Morgan stood there silently, not sure how to answer. Tears started to well up in her eyes, a knot building up in her throat.

"No, that's not going to happen," Michelle stepped in and stated strongly, anger rising up in her voice. "Not after was he did." Michelle and Morgan shared a look of understanding, mutual respect, and solidarity.

Cam was shocked by this. Certainly a drug conviction was not enough for someone to shun their only family from their life. Something else must've happened that she didn't know about. After all, she only knew Morgan for a few years during her childhood. But what she did know was that Kenneth held a respectable job at a hospital. Cam volunteered to let Morgan spend the night with them every time he worked the night shift.

"I'm fine, really," Morgan re-stated once she got her voice back. "I don't want to talk to him though, I don't want him to be a part of my life."

"Okay," Cam said as she took Morgan into a hug, "that's your decision. Just know that I'm here if you need me."

"I know," Morgan replied, "and thank you."

Cam left the two girls and walked into her office to grab a few files she wanted to work on at home over the weekend.

"Cam and I are heading out to go shopping, if you want to go with us," Michelle stated.

"No, I can't. I have to work, but thank you."

"Okay," Michelle said. "Call me if you need anything though, anything at all." Michelle enveloped Morgan into a quick hug before turning to Cam, who was now exiting her office. They both walked out the door, leaving Morgan alone with her thoughts as she started to get back to work.

oOo

Morgan always found working here on the weekends to be quite peaceful. There was rarely anybody ever around, so she was free to move at her own pace without many distractions. She had just gotten done cleaning Angela's office and was on her way to work on Dr. Brennan's.

She opened the door without knocking, as she didn't expect Dr. Brennan to be there today. As soon as she stepped inside, she saw Brennan sitting at her desk, focusing all her attention on her computer screen. There was a video playing, the volume was turned up loud. She heard someone screaming while another person gave an evil laugh. She walked up behind Dr. Brennan, unnoticed, and looked at the screen.

She saw Josslyn Davis-whom she had briefly met in one of her classes-tied to a pipe. She was covered in blood and her clothing was torn. A man was getting off of her, pulling up his pants and zipping them back up. Josslyn was crying, pleading with the man to let her go. The man grabbed a baseball bat and started hitting her with it. Morgan lost all forms of self control when she heard Josslyn choke out, "please, stop. Just stop, please, please."

"How can someone do this to another human being?" Morgan asked, completely outraged, startling Dr. Brennan. Brennan hadn't realized that she had been in the office. "That poor girl," Morgan said with tears in her eyes.

"Morgan, what are you doing here?" Brennan said as she shut off the video.

"I..um...I..." Morgan was too choked up to say anything further. She broke out in sobs as she let the tears rain down her face.

Brennan walked over to Morgan, placed an arm around her shoulders, and led her to the couch. Brennan was no good with emotions, so she wasn't quite sure how to comfort people. Brennan knew that, clearly, the tape had upset the girl. She felt like there was more to it than that, though. Even Angela didn't get this upset watching this video.

"Did you...did you know this victim?" Brennan asked. "Cam told me you go to Georgetown, just like the victim did."

Morgan shook her head. Clearing her throat she said, "No, not really. I mean, I met her a few times in class. We never really said much to each other though. She was a freshman and I'm a junior, so we didn't really have much in common, other than needing to take the required math class. Why would someone do that to her? What is it that drives a person to do such unspeakable things to another person?"

"To be honest, I'm not really sure. Anthropologically speaking though, violence has existed in virtually every society throughout history. But what causes someone to do such a thing, I don't really know. I have never really understood motives," Brennan started. "I have always viewed motives as irrelevant, so long as the evidence points to the person. What does it matter why they did it? I think Booth, or perhaps even Dr. Sweets, would be better able to explain it to you."

"Yeah, I understand. The psychological crap ain't really your thing," Morgan said, lightening the mood.

Even Brennan laughed at this. "Exactly, psychology is a soft science. It's just guesswork. Though I do have to admit that some people are more gifted at guessing than others."

"Like Booth," Morgan said, "and Ange. Cam is pretty good that stuff too. Would you even say that Dr. Sweets is good at it?" Morgan was baiting Brennan, seeing how much Brennan would really admit to.

"In the past, yes, Dr. Sweets has been valuable in providing us with the motives of some of the murderers," Brennan hastily admitted.

Morgan broke out into another laugh at this, making Brennan smile. She wasn't good at cheering people up, but somehow she managed to comfort Morgan.

Still laughing, Morgan said, "You know you just admitted that a _psychologist_ is a valuable member of the team, right?"

This made Brennan join in on the laughter once more. Just as they were beginning to fall into a pit of uncontrollable laughter, someone knocked on the door. "Come in," Brennan was able to say through her laughter.

"Sorry to interrupt, Dr. Brennan," Vincent started to say before he saw the company his mentor was in. He froze and said, "Oh, hello, Morgan."

Morgan went from uncontrollable laughter to giggling like a doughy-eyed school girl. "Hi," she said as she started to blush. "It's nice to see you again, Vincent."

Vincent just stared at her, getting that same doughy-eyed look in his own eyes. Both seemed to completely forget they were in the presence of another person. He tripped on his words as he said, "It's n...nice to see you too, Morgan."

"I didn't know you came in here on weekends," Morgan stated.

"Um...I usually don't, but as we seem to be getting nowhere with this case, I decided to put in some extra time helping out Dr. Brennan."

At the mention of her name, Brennan decided it was time to re-affirm her presence in the room. "Mr. Nigel-Murray, is there something you needed?"

"Oh, yes," he said as he turned his attention back to his mentor. "I need you to sign some paperwork so I can put them on Cam's desk."

"Oh, yes, of course," Brennan said. "Just set it on my desk and I'll get to it soon." He did as she asked, setting the paperwork on top of her desk.

"Vincent, wait up," Morgan said as he started to leave the room. He paused at the door as she turned to Brennan and said, "Thank you, Dr. Brennan. For everything. Let me know when you're done for the day and then I'll come back in here to clean up." Morgan didn't wait for Brennan to answer. She got up, walked over to Vincent, grabbed onto his hand, and led him out the door.

oOo

About two hours after her little conversation with Morgan, Brennan was still struggling on the case. She had turned the video back on, but couldn't discern anything out of the ordinary. The murderer did not seem to have any abnormal body movements, such as a limp or limited range of motion. They still weren't any closer to finding the murderer. Heck, they didn't even have any suspects, other than a male who is at least 5 foot 7 inches.

Brennan was frustrated, so she returned to working on her book. She worked for a solid 40 minutes before she heard someone knock on her door, once again. "It's open."

"Hey there, Bones," Booth said as he opened her door. "Mind if we come in?"

Brennan took her attention away from her computer to see the two Booth boys standing in her doorway holding takeout. "No, of course not. Come on in." She closed her word document as they boys entered her office, making themselves at home on the couch.

"Dr. Bones!" Parker's excited voice sounded throughout the room. "We brought you Thai food. Dad says it's your favorite."

"He did, did he?" she asked the boy, smiling. She got up from her desk and joined them on the couch.

"Yeah, he says that you probably haven't eaten dinner, so we should get you your favorite. That way you won't turn us down." Parker dug into his food, which Brennan noted was not from the Thai restaurant, but rather from the diner.

The three of them sat there talking to each other about their day so far as they ate their dinner. Brennan mentioned that she was working on her book and spent time with Morgan, whom Parker had somehow developed a cute little crush on from the one time he met her. In return, Parker told her about how his dad took him to the zoo and one of the monkey's had escaped and crawled on his shoulders.

When they were almost done eating their food, Booth's phone rang.

"Booth," he answered. The look of happiness he had been wearing while they were eating was quickly replaced by a more somber expression. "Yeah, we'll head right on over."

"What was that about?" Brennan asked as he disconnected his call. Sensing that something was wrong, she looked at Parker and said, "Hey, Parker. You know that Morgan is working here today, why don't you head on out there to say hi."

"She is?" Parker said with excitement. "Dad, can I go out there? Please?"

"Sure thing, bud, go on out there and say hi."

As soon as Parker left the room, Brennan looked at Booth for answers.

"They've found another body at the park," Booth informed her.

**AN: (GASP) ANOTHER BODY! No way! Now I must go cook some dinner and then head back to my final class today. I am aiming to have the next chapter up on Thursday or Friday. There's a possibility that it could be sooner, but only a slight possibility. Anyways, I hope you liked it! Let me know what ya think or if y'all have any suggestions or if there is anything you really want to see in this story.**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I have just been blown away by all of your support...from your reviews, story alerts, author alerts, and even favorite author. You guys are wicked awesome. And because of that, I decided to hurry up and get this chapter up here for you, despite my rollercoaster of a day. Let me just tell you, it starts with not getting into a class I needed to ending with a trip to Disneyland and getting hopped up on Mt. Dew! And after getting home and reading your amazing reviews, I became motivated to get this next chapter out to ya tonight :) So why don't you go ahead and enjoy it and then drop me a line afterwords =) **

Chapter 7:

ONE WEEK LATER

It had been a week since the team had found the second body. It took the team a few days to make an ID, but they were able to find out that the victim was Annabelle Ames, a 25 year old English grad student at Georgetown. She was reported missing by one of her professors about 7 months ago. The FBI had released her name to the press 2 days ago, as of yet there hasn't been a DVD sent to the Hoover.

"Bones, you got anything new for me?" Booth asked as he walked into the Jeffersonian.

"As we know, this victim has all the same markers as the first victim," Brennan answered. "Broken bones with some signs of remodeling indicate that she was physically abused, tortured. Cam found some tissue bruising in the pelvic area that would indicate sexual abuse. The cause of death was once again blunt force trauma to the parietal bone."

"We know all of this already, Bones."

"Yes, but we didn't know the approximate time of death," Brennan responded, irritated by Booth's interruption. "We have been able to discern that the victim was killed approximately one month ago."

"But she was reported missing seven months ago."

"Yes, that is where the rather sad part comes in," Mr. Nigel-Murray stepped in, looking kind of grim. "Some of the bones show signs of an extended period of remodeling, possibly about 6 months time."

"Wait, so the victim was kidnapped, physically and sexually abused for 6 months, murdered, and then dumped into the park?" Booth asked.

"Precisely," Mr. Nigel-Murrry stated.

"Just great," Booth sarcastically said aloud. "Bones, do you think you can spare some time to come interview some more suspects with me?"

"Sure," she answered. "Mr. Nigel-Murray, please continue with the remains. I'll be back as soon as I possibly can."

oOo

By the time they got to the campus, they had a list of suspects a mile long to question. Before getting out of the car, they decided to narrow the suspect pool down a little to the ones who were the most likely to have had a motive or opportunity to kill these two women. By the time their list was narrowed down, they were left with 5 names: Tyrell Jones, Tristian Howards, Edward Jarvais, Coach Richards, and Professor Payne. Getting out of the SUV, they made their way to the first suspect.

It took them a few hours, but they managed to interview all of the suspects, with the exception of Professor Payne, a graduate level English professor, who, besides being the professor who had reported Annabelle missing, has taken a sabbatical to go guest lecture at The American University in Rome for the semester, meaning that he was not in the country during the murders. Booth had concluded that this meant he could be crossed off of the suspect list, provided that the FBI can confirm his presence in Italy.

Tyrell Jones is the 21 year old star of Georgetown's mens basketball team. He has a known connection to both of the victims. He met Annabelle Ames when he was a freshman. She was a senior who worked as a tutor for the university. She was his English tutor. Tyrell Jones had a connection to the other victim as well. As the star of the basketball team, Tyrell had it pretty easy with the ladies. Apparently he had "hooked up" with Josslyn Davis on multiple occasions this year at several parties. Booth decided that Tyrell should remain a probable suspect.

Tristian Howards is a 26 year old grad student at Georgetown. He is currently enrolled in the J.D/Ph.D. program, which combines a Ph.D. in Philosophy with a Law degree. He had dated Annabelle Ames, and they ended their relationship a few months prior to her disappearance. He had no known connection with Josslyn Davis, but Booth knew that didn't mean that there wasn't a connection. He just had to find it.

Edward Jarvais is a well liked professor of literature. He and his wife both hold jobs a the university. His wife is an art teacher. Edward was the last known person to have seen Annabelle alive. She had gone missing at an awards ceremony at the grad school. Edward was seen charming his student in the corner of the room prior to the dinner. Rumor has it that Edward has a thing for some of his more attractive female students.

The last suspect they went to question was Coach Richards (the baseball coach), not that Booth believed he was a viable suspect. They went to question him once again about the probability of someone sneaking into the sports center to steal one of the custom baseball bats. For the second time, Booth was given a story about how it was highly improbable for someone to steal a baseball bat, as all of them were accounted for.

"I'd like you to get a warrant for me to test the baseball bats for blood," Brennan stated as they were walking back to Booth's black SUV.

"Can do," Booth said. "Yeah, I don't like that guy. He's definitely hiding something. But I don't think he's our guy. My money is on Jarvais."

"You can't possibly make that assumption," Brennan argued, pausing as they reached his SUV. "There's absolutely no evidence, beyond your 'gut' that can prove your theory. What about the basketball kid?"

"Nah, it wasn't him," Booth concluded. "He's a jerk, but he's not a murderer. Howards, on the other hand, gave me a creepy vibe."

"What!" Brennan asked, shocked. "I thought he was very nice. He is obviously very intelligent, and he has an alibi. He was working on the campus radio show at the times that both of the victims went missing."

"There were no witnesses to that," Booth pointed out.

"There doesn't need to be, Booth. It's a _live_ show. He had to be at the studio to answer phones and take requests."

"I still don't like him. And _of course_ you thought he was nice, he couldn't take his eyes off of you. All he was doing during the interview was undressing you with his eyes."

"What! Even it he was, what does it matter to you, Booth? If he wanted to have a relationship with me, even if it was just a fling, it's none of your business."

"It sure as hell is my business," Booth said taking a step closer to Brennan, backing her up against the car door. "For one thing, your my partner. I'm not going to let you date a suspect in a murder case. For another thing, he's just a kid. He has no business trying to start a relationship with a woman like you."

"He's not a kid, Booth," Brennan replied. "He's 26, making him only 6 years younger than me. I've been in relationships with a greater age difference than that before."

"You can't seriously be considering dating him!" Booth yelled, putting his hands on either side of her head and taking yet another step closer, their faces merely inches away from each other. They stood there, eyes locked on each other for a few quiet moments.

Brennan felt her heart skip a beat, her pulse increasing rapidly in her body. The tension between them moving from anger to sexual desire with every breath they took. Once again, their lips were like magnets, pulling closer until they met. This time there was no hesitation, only pure passion. He kept her pinned up against the car, moving his hands down to her waist. She wrapped her hands around his head, making sure he couldn't pull away.

They stayed that way, the passion consuming them until they were startled out of their frenzy by the sounds of a honking car elsewhere in the parking lot. Booth backed up a step, allowing them both to get some air before he opened her door for her and then made his way to the driver's seat once she was seated safely inside. Neither said a word the entire drive.

"What are we doing here?" Brennan asked, somewhat upset by the fact he had chosen to drive to the Hoover instead of bringing her back to the Jeffersonian, where she could bury herself in her work and forget about the kiss she shared with Booth.

"I need to drop off a few things to Sweets before we head back to the Jeffersonian."

"I need to get back to the lab, though," she protested. "I still have a ton of work to do, and we still need some tangible evidence for this case, besides your 'gut feeling'."

"There you go again," Booth said, "making fun of my gut. I don't see what your problem is with it, Bones. It's never done me wrong before."

"What!" Brennan said incredulously. "Just when we were at Georgetown, you said that your gut told you that Jarvais was our guy. And then a few seconds later you changed your mind to Tristian Howards."

"We are not having this argument again, Bones."

"Why couldn't you have just dropped me off at the Jeffersonian before coming to talk to Sweets?"

"Because this was on our way, and it's only going to be a quick stop."

"Ugh, fine," Brennan relented, "but his _better_ be quick." She started to get out the door, before turning back to Booth to say, "And there_ better_ be no therapy."

The partners made it up to Sweets' office in record time. They walked right in to find Sweets sitting on his couch, tossing a ball up into the air and catching it. Startled by the partner's entrance, he dropped the ball onto the ground.

"You can't just walk into my office without an appointment," Sweets said, quite frankly irritated, "what if I was with a patient."

"But you weren't with a patient," Brennan pointed out, not seeing what the big deal was. Pointing to the ball that now lay on the ground beside the couch, she said, "You were just playing with that."

"I was not 'playing', Dr. Brennan. I was thinking. Analyzing facts about one of my patients," Sweets pointed out.

"You're twelve, it's okay to admit that you were playing," Booth said with a grin on his face.

Waving off Booth's disparaging remarks, Sweets inquired, "to what do I owe the pleasure of a meeting with the two of you?"

"Booth dragged me here," Brennan's voice was thick with irritation.

"Yeah, anyways, Sweets," Booth said, choosing to ignore Brennan's remark, "I want you to work up a profile on the Georgetown case."

"Sure," Sweets replied. "Are those the files right there?"

"Yeah," Booth said as he handed the files over to the psychologist. "When can you have the profile done by?"

"Since he's just guessing, it shouldn't take much time at all," Brennan's bitter voice broke through.

"For the thousandth time, Dr. Brennan, I'm not guessing. I'm a trained psychologist. And it'll take a few days, Booth. It's not a magic trick."

"Fine." Booth stated as he turned to walk out the door, pausing when he heard Sweets' voice.

"Are you okay, Dr. Brennan? You seem a bit distressed," Sweets observed. She had been standing much farther away from Booth than usual and she seemed much more bitter than usual.

Brennan didn't acknowledge him, instead she chose to walk past Booth to head out into the hallway. "Don't worry about her," Booth said. "She's just a bit stressed out." He turned to follow her outside.

Once they both hopped back into his SUV, his cell phone rang.

"Booth," he answered, not bothering to look at the caller ID. "Oh, hey Ava."

At the mention of her name, Brennan turned away from Booth, feigning disinterest. She remained silent though, so she could hear his every word.

"Um..." Booth said, sneaking a glance toward his partner. "Yeah I can do that. I'll meet you there in about 30 minutes. See you then." He hung up the phone before looking at Brennan. "Sorry, I'm not gonna be able to head into the Jeffersonian with you. I have something I need to do."

Brennan was getting tears in her eyes, just thinking about the fact that Booth was off to go meet up with his girlfriend, even after they shared yet another kiss. Not looking at him, she replied, "yeah, I understand."

"Bones," Booth said. "Look at me."

She wiped a tear off her face before turning to him. "I understand Booth, just take me back to the Jeffersonian."

"Bones, talk to me."

"No," she replied. They remained silent the entire ride. Brennan opened her door before Booth could come to a complete stop. He tried to talk to her as she was jumping out through the door.

"Bones, I'm gon-" he started, but she slammed her door, not wanting to hear what he had to say. "-na break up with her," he finished to himself. He shook his head in disappointment before driving to the diner to meet up with Ava.

**AN: So here it is! I know a few of you have been waiting for that to happen, now you just gotta wait for Brennan to find out about it. Since I'm still really energetic due to my favorite kind of pop, I'm gonna start editing the next chapter. Maybe it'll be up sometime tomorrow, but I make no promises.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Hey there. Y'all are probably sick of hearing me say this, but I love all of you for your reviews and alerts. I'm just so glad that you decided to stick it out and read this. So, here is chapter 8. Once again you can go ahead and thank Mr. Dew for inspiring me this evening...hahaha! Enjoy!**

Chapter 8:

Once Booth dropped Brennan off at the Jeffersonian, he started his drive to the diner. "Shit," he said as he looked down at the clock and realized that he was supposed to be in a meeting at the FBI in 20 minutes. He took out his phone and dialed up Ava.

"Hello," her voice answered.

"Listen Ava, I'm so sorry. I completely forgot that I have a meeting at the Hoover. I won't be able to make it to the diner right now. Can we postpone until 7?"

"Sure hun, that's fine," she replied. "I'll meet you there at 7."

Booth hung up the phone without saying goodbye. Instead of taking a left to the diner, he drove straight to head back to the Hoover for his meeting.

oOo

As soon as Booth dropped Brennan off at the Jeffersonian, she walked into her office and barricaded herself inside. On the short walk from the entrance into her office, she managed to scare half of her interns and even made one of them cry simply because they had asked for her help with some of the remains from limbo. She threw words at them such as "incompetent," "counterproductive," and "mentally deficient."

But now that she was inside the safety of her office, she let down all of her defenses. Her walls came crumbling down around her, leaving her unable to breathe. She sat down on the couch, held a pillow on her lap, and let herself cry. She couldn't go on living like this, her and Booth just partners. She wanted more, needed there to be more between them. She was mad at herself for turning Booth down, and angry with Booth for not giving her any time to come around. He had moved on so fast, before she really had time to process everything.

A few moments later, she heard a soft knock on the door. "Sweetie, open up."

Brennan stayed seated on her couch, not bothering to answer. Angela opened the door up without Brennan's permission. As soon as Angela saw the fragile state her friend was in, she ran over to the couch and pulled Brennan into her arms. "Sweetie, it's okay. What happened?"

It took Brennan a few minutes to pull herself together before she asked, "Ange, what are you doing in here?"

Angela laughed at that. "Well, for starters, Cam told me that you scared the hell out of some of your interns. She said that you even made Daisy cry. Then you marched into your office and locked yourself inside. Lucky thing I had the spare key. And did you honestly think that I didn't hear you crying through the door?" She pulled Brennan into another hug. "Sweetie, what happened?"

"Ange, I can't do this anymore."

"Do what, Bren?"

"I can't work with Booth anymore."

"What! Why?"

"Something happened. I can't go on seeing him everyday and pretending that I don't feel the way I do. I _love_ him, Ange. How can I go on pretending that I don't, especially after what happened?"

"What happened?" Angela asked again for what felt like the millionth time.

"We kissed, Ange." Brennan was nearly in tears again. "Twice in the past week. Once at my apartment and once earlier today. And then he got a call from his girlfriend. Both times."

"Sweetie, you need to tell him how you feel. He feels that way too. He loves you."

Brennan shook her head. "No, he doesn't. He can't love me."

At that moment, Sweets chose to knock on the door. He didn't wait for an answer, but rather barged right in looking more than a little peeved. "What did you do to Daisy?" he accused. "She called me up crying not 10 minutes ago. She was so upset I couldn't even understand much of what she said, besides the words 'Dr. Brennan'."

"Sweets," Angela warned. "Knock it off."

Only then did Sweets take in the scene that was in front of him. Dr. Brennan's breathing was ragged, her red eyes puffy from crying, and tear streaks stained into her cheeks. "Oh, I'm sorry," he immediately apologized.

"Sweetie, maybe you should talk to Sweets about everything. You know, a neutral third party."

Brennan stared daggers at Angela before she said "I hate psychology, and I certainly don't need therapy."

"I never said you did," Angela said. "You just need someone who will listen and can offer you advice. I'll be here adding my input too, and you sure as hell know that I'm not a psychologist."

"Dr. Brennan," Sweets said, "I am more than willing to talk to you about whatever is bothering you."

Brennan was quiet for so long, Sweets thought it was pointless to even try anymore. She wasn't going to open up to him, despite Angela's insistence. Sweets saw her shift in her seat before looking down to her lap. He began to say something, but she started first. "What I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this room, do you understand?" She was looking at him so fiercely that a part of him wanted to go hide in the corner of the room, afraid that she was literally going to tell him her deepest, darkest secret and then kill him to keep him quiet.

"Absolutely, we have total doctor-patient confidentiality. Not a single soul will know about our conversation. You have my word."

Seeming satisfied with his answer, she opened up with a disclaimer. "I'm not telling you this because I need therapy, because I don't believe in psychology. I'm only telling you because I seem to need some advice."

Sweets stared at her for a moment before nodding towards her in an effort to usher her to continue. When she didn't, he used his words, "I'm assuming this has sometime to do with you and Agent Booth. So, what happened between the two of you?"

She took a deep breath and looked back down at her lap. She opened her mouth several times to speak, but nothing came out. Seeing that her friend couldn't form the words again, Angela stepped in. "They kissed."

"You what! When did this happen?"

"Well, twice recently," Brennan said. "Once about a week ago in my apartment and then again earlier today. But it doesn't mean anything."

"Like hell it doesn't, Dr. Brennan." Sweets said, calling her out on her lie. "You may not be ready to admit it to anyone, but I know you're in love with Agent Booth. That's why you need advice, right? You don't know how to deal with all of these new emotions you are experiencing."

Brennan didn't even try to argue with him. Her eyes began to flood with tears once again. "What am I supposed to do, Sweets? We missed our chance. He doesn't love me, doesn't want me anymore. He's moved on...with Ava."

"He may be with Ava, but he's always been _with_ you."

"I don't know what that means."

"It means that despite his relationship with Ava, it doesn't really mean anything to him. His heart belongs to you, Sweetie," Angela said. "We all see it. He loves you."

"You can't possibly know that," Brennan protested.

"I do know it. I know you're afraid of getting hurt, but you need to open up to him and tell him how you're feeling. It's obvious to anyone who sees the two of you together that you both are very much in love. You shot him down once, so I doubt he's going to be the one to try next time. It has to be you, Dr. Brennan," Sweets concluded

"Thank you, Dr. Sweets, but I think it's time for you to leave," Brennan said as she wiped her eyes. "You have no evidence for your theories, which is exactly why I hate psychology."

"You want evidence Dr. Brennan," Sweets said. "How about all of the times he did everything imaginable to save your life? All of those late nights he brought take out to your apartment, to make sure that you were actually eating something. Or how about the times when you needed him, and he dropped everything he was doing to get to you, to make sure you were alright. I can see that he loves you in the way he looks at you, speaks to you. Even in the way he walks with you, always a step ahead to protect you from any potential harm."

"Sweets, would you please leave," Brennan pleaded.

"Just think about what I said, okay?" Brennan guided him out the door and then shut it behind him. She walked over to her couch to think about what Sweets said. Could he possibly be correct? Was Booth in love with her? Did he still want to give them a try? She sat in thought for a while, not noticing that Angela was still in the room. She only noticed when she felt her friend pull her into another hug.

oOo

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my GOD!" Morgan screamed in excitement as she walked into Angela's office about an hour later.

"What is it sweetie?" Angela asked, her curiosity increasing by the second. Morgan was pacing back and fourth, excitement written on every part of her face.

"Eeeek! He asked me out!" Morgan said as she turned to look at Angela. Jumping around a bit she continued in a sing-song voice, "He wants to take me to dinner tomorrow night at La Ferme. Eeeekkk!"

"Hahaha! That's great sweetie!" Angela replied as she walked over to Morgan and hugged her. "I'm so happy for you. And I told you he liked you!"

Pulling back from the hug, Morgan said, "I know you did. I don't know how you knew, but you did. Oh my god, I like him so much. He's so smart and so sweet." Morgan let the happiness consume her as she hugged Angela again. "Oh my god, what am I gonna wear?" Morgan suddenly asked, pulling away from Angela once again.

Just then, Brennan walked into the room. "What are you going to wear for what?"

Angela smiled and pulled her over to the couch, so she could tell Brennan all about Morgan's upcoming date with Vincent. "Well congratulations," Brennan said to Morgan. "La Ferme is a very romantic place."

"Yeah, I know." Morgan said. "I'm so friggin nervous. Nobody's ever taken me to such a romantic place for dinner before. Will you and Ange help me get ready? You know, help me fix up my hair and makeup, oh and help me decide what to wear."

"I don't know," Brennan started, "I actually have a lot..."

"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Angela interrupted as she wrapped her arm around Brennan. After Brennan's little break down, Angela had decided that it was her job to keep Brennan as busy as possible so it wouldn't happen again. Brennan had decided to seriously think about telling Booth how she felt, but only if she was able to see some evidence that he felt the same way.

"Really!" Morgan said, excitement building in her tone. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Brennan let out a sigh. She knew she couldn't let this girl down. "Yeah, we'd really love to help."

Morgan ran over to Angela and Brennan and hugged them both at the same time. Sitting down next to Brennan, Morgan smiled an evil grin and stated, "So, when is that super sexy FBI special agent in charge finally going to take you out on a date?"

Brennan smile faltered at his question, tears starting to sting her eyes.

"Sweetie, it's okay," Angela stated.

"Oh my god, if I said something I shouldn't have, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean anything by it Dr. Brennan. I was just messing around."

"No, it's alright Morgan," Brennan said. "You didn't say anything wrong. Don't worry about it."

Angela saw the look of sadness still in her best friend's eyes and decided that it would be best if they changed the topic. "Have you eaten yet tonight?"

Brennan shook her head.

"Well that settles it, Dr. Brennan," Morgan said. "We're going to go get some dinner, my treat. And maybe we'll even get some drinks afterwards."

"Ooooohhh yeah!" Angela said. "Let's make it a girl's night.

oOo

By the time Booth got out of his meeting, it was almost 6 o'clock. That gave him just enough time to finish some paperwork before heading over to the diner to meet up with Ava. He spent the next half hour staring at the clock, not even attempting to do his paperwork. His mind kept wandering from Bones to Ava, and then back to Bones. He realized that he needed to get this over with, it really couldn't wait any longer. He grabbed his coat and keys and made his way out to his SUV.

He drove straight to the diner. His mind kept drifting back to earlier that day. He remembered what it felt like to have Brennan pinned up against his car, his hands on her waist as hers found their way to the back of his head. Most importantly, he remembered the feel of Brennan's lips moving against his own. He knew when it happened just over a week ago that he was never going to get over Bones. He was in love with her, and that wasn't going to change any time soon.

Despite the fact that he thoroughly enjoyed both of their kisses, he still felt a pang of guilt every time he thought about Ava, which, admittedly, wasn't that often. He also felt guilty for kissing Brennan, and then running back to his girlfriend. How must that have made Brennan feel? He couldn't stand the thought of making Brennan upset. Not only was he cheating on Ava every time he kissed Brennan, but he felt as if he was cheating on Bones. And, lets face it, he wasn't that type of guy.

He pulled up to the diner and grudgingly got out of his SUV. He knew he was doing the right thing, but he hated the fact of possibly hurting this woman, whom had been nothing but kind to him. When he walked into the diner, he spotted her sitting at a booth in the corner of the building.

"Seely!" Ava said excitedly as Booth took a seat across from her. She placed her hands on his arm and said, "It's nice to finally be able to spend some time with you. I know this case has you running around like crazy, but I missed you." She gave him a sweet smile that was only making this harder for him.

"Listen, Ava, we need to talk."

Ava's excitement waned down immediately. She recognized that tone as one that never worked out well for her in the past. She knew immediately what was going to happen.

"Okay," she said trying to keep tears from prematurely running down her face, "what about?"

Booth rubbed his hands down his face. "Look, there's no good way to say this, so I'm just gonna lay it all out there."

Ava nodded her head. She didn't need an explanation, she only needed to know one thing. "You're breaking up with me, aren't you?"

Booth nodded. "You deserve better. I haven't been fair to you. I've been leading you on while I've been in love with someone else."

"Dr. Brennan."

"Yeah, I'm in love with-" Booth never got the chance to finish his sentence. He saw Ava looking above his shoulder, at someone standing behind him. He followed her eyesight to see Bones standing a few feet away, tears in her eyes.

**AN: I thought about the love interests on the show for a while. All of the main characters have had a least one love interest. Even the interns have been seen with some significant other. Daisy had Sweets. Wendell had Angela. Clark had his girlfriend during Angela's celibacy streak. Mr. Fischer even had a girl in the episode where they were camped out to go see Avatar. The only intern who hasn't had a love interest, to my knowledge, had been Vincent. So I decided to give him one :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Sorry this is kind of a short chapter. I promised some of you that I would have it up earlier today, but unfortunately I got sidetracked by fried dough, cotton candy, and Italian ice at the streetfair going on about a mile from my house. Can you really blame me though? Anyways, here is another chapter...I had to rewrite it a few times and I really wanted to make it longer, but I felt like I needed to get this up. Hope it lives up to what you're expecting...**

Chapter 9:

The minute Booth met Brennan's eyes, everything else faded into the background. All that mattered to Booth was his partner. He was so focused on Bones, his mind barely registered the fact that Angela and Morgan were standing beside her, looking equally as shocked.

Panic started to set in for Brennan. She had all the evidence she needed. She heard everything she needed to hear. Booth was in love with her. She had wanted this for a long time. Shouldn't she be happy? Instead, she was feeling scared. She had never been in love with anyone before and, likewise, nobody had been in love with her either. And now there was a definite possibility for a real relationship to grow. One that grew out of love, not lust or the need to fulfill biological urges. Quite frankly, that thought scared her more than she ever thought possible.

"Bren," she heard Angela say to her, so quietly she almost didn't hear it. All she could focus on was Booth. _And _her fears. She felt like the walls were closing in around her, so she did the only thing she knew how to do when her emotions became to much to handle. She ran.

Booth watched Brennan start to panic. He knew she had heard him declare his love for her. Before he knew what was happening, Brennan made a mad dash out the diner door. Morgan and Angela stayed where they were standing, too shocked to move.

"Go," Ava said. "Go after her. I know you want to, so just go."

That was all the encouragement Booth needed. He turned back to look questioningly at Ava and said, "thank you." He got up and ran out the door after Brennan, shouting to Angela and Morgan to "stay put."

He didn't have to run far before he spotted her. She was standing next to Angela's car, leaning her forehead on her arms against the passenger door. She was shaking, and he knew instantly that she was crying. He ran closer.

She must've heard someone coming. Assuming it was Angela, she said "I'd like to go home, Ange."

When no one replied, she looked up and saw Booth's reflection in the window. She turned around quickly and said, "Booth."

Before he knew what was happening, he started closing the distance between them. Brennan had started walking at the same time, their eyes never leaving each other's. They met somewhere in the middle, where Booth wrapped his arms around her and she rested her head on his chest, letting a few tears fall from her eyes and a sob escape from her throat.

"Did you mean it, Booth?" she asked. "Are you really in love with me?" She pulled back to look him in the eyes.

"More than I ever though possible," he replied. He pulled her close, this time their lips met in a rush of love and devotion.

He pulled back and said, "hey, how about I take you home so we can talk in private." He had noticed Angela and Morgan walking over to them from the diner. They definitely didn't need to have an audience for this conversation.

She merely nodded, too lost in a cloud of her emotions to vocalize an answer.

They walked over to his SUV. He opened the door for her, and she didn't even protest by saying that she's perfectly capable of opening the door by herself. He walked around to the driver's side and got in. The short drive seemed like it took forever. Both were quiet, unsure of what to say, and how to begin saying it. They were both nervous, anxious about what was to come. Booth was nervously tapping the steering wheel with his thumb while Brennan was biting the nail on her thumb.

Noticing that Brennan was distressed, Booth grabbed her hand and said, "Bones, everything is gonna be alright. You'll see."

Grateful for the comforting words, Brennan smiled at him. They held hands until they pulled into the parking lot at her apartment complex, letting go only to get out of the car. They walked side by side through the door. Upon reaching the elevator, Booth placed his hand on the spot on her lower back that he had claimed as his. He felt Brennan shiver at the contact. She turned her head to look at him and he was a goner. In her eyes he saw a beautiful mix of love and desire, the fear he saw earlier merely a ghost. The elevator doors opened and he guided her into the elevator. He didn't wait for the doors to close before he pulled her in for a kiss. The kiss turned heated in an instant and he backed her into the corner. The passion was overwhelming for the both of them, occupying their every thought and action, only to be interrupted by the ding of the elevator door letting them know that they've reached their destination.

Reluctantly, they broke apart. Brennan grabbed Booth's hand and led him to her apartment. She reached into her bag to grab her keys. Her hands were shaky as she pulled them out and put the key into the door. "B...Booth?" she said, turning back to him before opening the door.

"Hey," he said as he grabbed her hands with his. She looked down at their conjoined hands as he said, "Nothing has to happen in there." He took one of his hands and placed his index finger on her chin, guiding her eyes up to his. "All we need to do is talk, don't worry."

She nodded her head and said, "Thanks, Booth." She turned around and opened the door. Once inside, she set her things down onto a table by the door as he walked towards her couch. "Can I get you anything? Water? Beer? Anything?"

"Water's fine," he answered as he took a seat. She disappeared into the kitchen, only to return a minute later with two glasses of water. She sat down on the couch next to him. The same couch they shared a kiss in about a week ago.

"Thanks," he said as she handed him a glass. He didn't drink from it, but rather placed it onto the coffee table in front of him. She took a sip from her glass before she set it beside his.

"So..." he started.

"Booth," she interrupted. "How long have you been in love with me?"

"Since the day I met you."

"No, Booth," she said. "That's impossible. You may have been attracted to me, but you couldn't have been in love me. You didn't even know me. When did you _know_ you were in love with me? When did you, as you would say, 'fall in love' with me?"

"I don't think I can pinpoint an exact time, Bones. I guess I'd have to say it happened slowly," he answered honestly. "A little more every day. I had always been extremely protective of you, but I couldn't figure out why. That's why I flew down to New Orleans for you. I couldn't explain it, but I needed to be there. To protect you. I chalked it up to 'partnership', when really it was something more. And those times you were taken from me. Kenton. The gravedigger. I almost lost it both times. And every time I saw you with another man. All those guys in Washington who were hitting on you when you thought they were 'pumping' you for information about the case. That internet guy. Those two guys you were dating at the same time. Hacker. You chose everyone but me. All I could do was sit on the sidelines and watch, wishing you were with me."

"I'm sorry, Booth."

"And then I had that damn coma dream," he explained. "I had you. We had a perfect life. We were married. Had a baby on the way. We were happy, Bones. So happy. But then I woke up and realized that it never actually happened. We were just partners. Suddenly, that wasn't enough for me anymore. That dream made me realize what we could have, what we could be, if we would only just give it a try, Bones. But when I tried, you ran. You said no."

Brennan had tears in her eyes. She never had meant to cause him so much pain. "I'm so sorry, Booth. I shouldn't have said no. I really shouldn't have. But I'm ready now. I'm ready to try, Booth. I love you."

That was all it took. As soon as Booth heard those words escape from her mouth, he could no longer control himself. He needed to feel her lips on his. To feel her pressed up against him. To discover everything that had been off limits when they were just partners.

"I love you, Booth," she said one more time, just as his lips came crashing down against hers. She moved so that she was straddling his lap, increasing the passion in the kiss. He placed his hands onto her hips as he slowly moved his kiss from her lips onto her neck. When he reached a spot just below her ear she let out a soft moan. A sound so sweet, he knew he would never get tired of hearing it. He trailed kisses along a path down her neck until he reached her collar bone.

He heard her moan once again, this time saying his name. He kissed his way back up to her mouth. Once they locked lips again, his hands decided to move upwards from their spot on her hips. They brushed up against her breasts as they made their way to entangle themselves in her hair.

Brennan could feel the effect she was having on him through the material of their clothing. She pulled back from him and whispered seductively into his ear, "follow me." She got up and started to walk down the hall. Booth jumped up off the couch and ran to her. He grabbed her from behind, pulling her close. He heard her gasp as their bodies made contact. He moved her hair to the side and his lips made contact against the soft skin of her neck once again.

"Mmmmm...Booth," she moaned.

He turned her around so that she was facing him. He backed her up against the wall in the hallway, his lips once again making contact with hers. She grabbed onto his belt buckle and pulled him closer. His hands found their way to the hem of her shirt, pulling it up over her head and letting it fall to the floor. His shirt came off next, landing beside hers on the floor.

Knowing that he wanted this to be so much more than a quickie in the hallway, he decided to take this into the bedroom. As he picked her up, she wrapped her legs around him, letting him carry her the rest of the way down the hall and into her bedroom, their lips never leaving each other's the whole way there.

Upon reaching the bedroom, he set her back down onto her feet. Once again she grabbed his belt buckle, this time pulling him with her onto the bed. They spent the rest of the night there, at least until the wee hours of the morning, discovering all the new aspects of their partnership that were no longer forbidden.

**AN: I'm aiming to have the next chapter up either tomorrow or Monday. What do ya think? Did it live up to your expectations? Have anything you'd like to see happen now in this story. I'm always open to suggestions. I have the endgame all planned out, but how I get there is still up in the air. So let me know what y'all are thinking :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter posted. I spent a long time yesterday at the doctor's office to find out that I'm having some kidney problems. They put me on meds that make me pretty drowsy, so I've been sleeping a lot too! I'm apologizing now for any mistakes, and I'm gonna blame them on the pain pills. On the brighter side of things, I had an internship interview today, and I got the internship! YAY!**

**Also, thank you to anyone out there who is still reading and reviewing. I love you guys so much for how supportive you've been of me :) Without any further ado, I hope y'all enjoy this next chapter!**

CHAPTER 10:

Brennan awoke the next morning wrapped up in the arms of her love, her partner in every sense of the word. Booth was still asleep next to her, so she took a few moments to enjoy the feeling of having him beside her. She leaned over and placed a kiss on his shoulder before she started to make her way down his chest and onto his abdomen.

"Mmmm...good morning," Booth smiled down at Brennan, whom was placing a trail of kisses across his stomach.

"Good morning, Booth," she replied, bringing her head up to kiss Booth on the lips.

"Now I could get used to that."

"Used to what?" Brennan asked innocently as she climbed on top of Booth, kissing him on the lips once again.

"This," he replied. "The kissing, waking up next to you in the morning."

"I could get used to it too," she said with a smile on her face. "I can't believe we waited all these years."

"Yeah, we definitely wasted a lot of time. We should've been doing this all along."

"Well, if I had known it was going to be this good, perhaps I would've let myself be physically intimate with you since day one," she teased before she let her lips fall back onto his, the kiss turning heated in an instant.

Pulling away from Booth before things got too far, Brennan asked, "What are your plans for the day?"

"Ummm...let's see," Booth started, "it's Friday, so that means we have work. I have to pick Parker up at 5 from Rebecca's. Would you like to have dinner with us? Then maybe we could watch a movie and you could spend the night."

"Mmmm, that sounds tempting. But it's your time with Parker. I don't want him to feel like I'm intruding on your father-son time."

"He wouldn't mind, Bones. He loves you," Booth said.

"Booth, you haven't even told him about us," Brennan protested, although her 'heart' wasn't in it. "What would he think when I just stay the night with you?"

"I'll tell him about us when I pick him up," Booth said. "Come on, Bones. Come over tonight. You know you want to."

"Sure," she relented. She turned her head towards the nightstand to look at the clock. "Ugh, I can't believe we have to be at work in an hour and a half. I'd much rather spend the morning in bed with you, instead of at the lab."

"Wow!" Booth said in mock-shock. "_The_ Temperance Brennan would rather spend time with me than at work."

"Yes, I would. But since that doesn't appear to be an option, perhaps we should start getting ready for work," Brennan said as she started to get out of the bed. When she reached the bathroom door, she turned to look at Booth with a sultry smile and said, "would you like to join me for a shower, Agent Booth?"

He didn't need to be asked twice. He jumped out of the bed and joined Brennan in the shower, where they explored each other's bodies once again, before finally deciding to get washed up.

oOo

Brennan arrived at the Jeffersonian about an hour late that morning. She was hoping to slip into her office unnoticed, but unfortunately for her, Angela and Morgan had other plans. They were waiting for Brennan at the door.

"Sweetie," Angela said as soon as she saw her best friend. "Spill!"

"Spill what?" Brennan replied.

"Tell us all about it. Everything! How was the sex?" Angela said.

"What! What makes you think we had sex?" Brennan asked as she finally entered her office with Angela and Morgan hot on her heels.

"Ange says that the only time you're late for work is when ya get laid," Morgan said as she made herself at home on Brennan's couch. "And you're an hour late today. Plus we were there at the diner when Booth said he loved ya."

"Come on, Bren," Angela pleaded, taking the seat next to Morgan. "What happened after you ran out of the diner?"

Realizing that the two of them wouldn't relent, she decided to fill them in, leaving out some of the more pleasurable moments of last night. "I ran out to your car, hoping to avoid Booth. He came out there, saw me crying and comforted me. I guess, even though I wanted him to confirm that he loved me, I was still scared about what would happen once I finally heard it. We went back to my apartment to talk. He told me that he loved me. He told me how long he'd been in love with me. I told him that I regretted turning him down months ago. And then I said that I was in love with him."

"Let me guess," Morgan started. "As soon as you told him how you felt, he couldn't hold back any more. Agent Studly finally jumped your bones."

"I don't have the slightest idea of what any of that means," Brennan said. "But if you're implying that we had sex, then you are correct in that assessment."

"I knew it!" Angela exclaimed in excitement. "How was it? Amazing, I assume."

"Yes," Brennan said, her cheeks flushing to a shade of red. "Now can we please talk about something else? I have to leave some aspects of my relationship private."

"Sure," Angela said. "Spoil-sport!" Before Brennan could say something, Angela said, "Yeah, yeah. You don't know what that means."

"Okay, so my date is at 7 tonight," Morgan said. "What time did y'all want to meet me at my dorm to help me get ready?"

"We'll head over at about 5," Angela said. "That'll give us 2 hours to make you look completely irresistible. "

"Wait, tonight?" Brennan said. "Shoot, I completely forgot about it. I told Booth that I'd have dinner with him and Parker."

"That's okay, Dr. Brennan," Morgan assured her. "I'm sure Ange can help me out enough. Go ahead and meet up with Booth."

"No, I made a commitment. I'll head over there at 5 too," Brennan said. "Just because I'm in a relationship with Booth, doesn't mean that I have to, nor should I, give up my other obligations. I made plans, I'm going to stick to them. I just have to call up Booth and tell him I'll be a little late."

"Dr. Brennan, you don't have to do that," Morgan protested.

"Sweetie," Angela began, "you're not going to be able to talk Bren out of this one. Once her mind is made up, there's really no way to change it."

"But Dr. Brennan, I really don't want to interfere with your relationship with Agent Booth," Morgan said. "You're just starting out, you really shouldn't cancel on him. Especially not because of me."

"Morgan," Brennan said. "I want to help out. My life doesn't revolve around Booth. Like I said, I made plans. I'm not going to cancel them just to spend time with Booth."

"Now that that's settled, we'll meet you at your dorm at 5," Angela said.

"Great!" Morgan said. "Now I should probably get back to work before Cam decides to fire me for distracting her two best employees." She got up off the couch and made her way to the door. Turning back she said, "I'm very happy for you Dr. Brennan. You deserve this."

When Morgan walked out the door, Angela turned to Brennan and said, "Sweetie, you really are too sweet for your own good."

"What do you mean?"

"Morgan. She looks up to you. And you're giving up spending time with Booth to help the girl get ready for a date with one of your interns. The fact that you're being so supportive means a lot to her. You're a good person, Bren."

"Thanks, Ange," Brennan replied as her phone rang. Angela got up off the couch and left the office as Brennan answered the phone. "Brennan."

"Hey, Bones."

"Hi, Booth. I was just going to call you. I needed to tell you that I'm going to be a little late for dinner-"

"We'll talk about that later," Booth interrupted. He took a deep breath before he continued. "Listen, I need you to get Angela. Another DVD was sent to the Hoover. I want Angela to review it to see if she can pull anything off of this one that she was unable to do with the prior DVD."

"Yeah, sure thing. I'll go tell her now. Are you on your way to the Jeffersonian?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in about 10 minutes."

oOo

True to his word, Booth was walking into Angela's office just 10 minutes after he got off of the phone with Brennan. Everybody else was already gathered around.

"So, this was sent to the FBI sometime late last night," Booth said as soon as he entered the office, "Director Cullen and I watched it once this morning, and we believe the girl in this video is our victim, Annabelle Ames."

"She was the second body, but the first victim," Mr. Nigel-Murray said, "is that correct?"

"Yes," Brennan replied. "Second body, first victim. So far we have been unable to find anything that would lead us to the killer."

"Yeah," Booth said. "That's why I'm hoping you will be able to get something more from this DVD." Booth handed the DVD over to Angela. "Hodgins, the envelope is yours, see if you can find any particulates or DNA."

"Sure thing, G-man," Hodgins replied. Turning to Angela he asked, "Can you handle this by yourself while I go analyze the envelope?"

"Yeah Hodgie," Angela replied. "I got it." Hodgins left Angela's office to return to the lab. Angela got the DVD started and they all watched as the 25 year old girl was tortured, raped, and then murdered. The team spent the rest of the day analyzing both the video and the envelope. By the time 4 o'clock rolled around, they were still no closer to finding any information about the murderer.

"Hey, so I gotta leave soon to go pick up Parker," Booth said as they entered Brennan's office. "Did you want to ride over there with me?"

"Oh shoot," Brennan replied. "I completely forgot to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"I'm going to have to be a little late tonight," she started. "I forgot that I had promised Morgan that I'd help her get ready for her date with Vincent tonight. I'm meeting her over at her dorm in an hour."

"You're going to Georgetown?" Booth asked, his voice growing louder with every word. "When there is a psycho killer on the loose?"

"Booth, calm down. I can take care of myself. Besides, this will give me a chance to check out the suspects without the presence of the FBI."

"There's no way in hell I'm going to let you go over to Georgetown alone when there's a killer on the loose, Bones."

"That's ridiculous Booth, I won't be alone," Brennan explained. "I'm going over there with Angela. Morgan goes there every night, and she's perfectly fine. She lives on campus, Booth. If it's really not safe to be there, I have a difficult time believing that you'd let her go off on her own there every night."

"I've told her numerous times that she shouldn't be living on campus when there's a killer on the loose," Booth stated. "She's too damn stubborn to listen to me!"

"With good reason," Brennan said, her voice growing thick with anger. "There's only been 2 girls who were kidnapped and then murdered. Georgetown has about 14,800 students. Roughly 50% of the student population is female. That means that there are about 7,400 female students at Georgetown. Of all of those women, only two have been murdered. We're perfectly safe there, Booth."

"No, you're not," Booth protested. "The killer knows that you are investigating the murders. If they see you there, they could freak out. They could lose control, snap, and then kill you. I'm not letting you take that chance, Bones."

"Booth, I'm not having this argument with you. Just because we're in a relationship does not give you the right to tell me what I can and can't do. If I want to go to Georgetown, I will. You can't do anything to prevent me from going there either."

"Bones," Booth pleaded as his voice became somber. "Please don't go there. I don't want to have to worry about you."

"I'll be fine, Booth. I can take care of myself. I'll go there. Angela and I will help Morgan get ready for her date with Mr. Nigel-Murray, then Ange and I will leave," Brennan explained. "You and Parker can talk about the changes in our relationship over dinner, and then I'll meet you at your place to watch a movie."

"Bones," Booth pleaded once more, walking over to Brennan and pulling her into a hug..

"Booth, I have to go," Brennan said as she pulled herself free from his embrace.

Booth took a deep breath before he said, "Fine." He walked out of Brennan's office and went straight to his SUV that was in the parking lot. Bones could be so goddamn stubborn sometimes. He hated the idea of her going off on her own to investigate some of the suspects. Who knows what kind of trouble she could get in.

**AN: What did y'all think? I hope to have the next chapter posted within the next few days, but there are no promises on an exact day. Sorry :( But I do promise that it'll be relatively soon.**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: I am so sorry that it took so long for me to put up this chapter. My kidney problems got kind of serious and the meds I was on kept me mostly unconscious for a few days. But everything is getting better now. I was even able to get back to my volunteer work this weekend. YAY! I got to attend Kitten Rescue's annual Fur Ball silent auction last night, which was amazing. I got to meet a few stars from The Office! They were so sweet and such nice people! But anyways, I spent all afternoon and evening working on this. I wanted to make up for the long gap since my last update. So here is a slightly longer chapter to make up for the long wait. Enjoy!**

CHAPTER 11:

Brennan and Angela drove over to Georgetown together. The ride over to campus was a long one, traffic was a little more hectic than they had planned. Brennan stayed quiet during most of the ride, the only noise in the car was coming from the stereo.

"You're being awfully quiet tonight," Angela said, looking at her best friend, whom was driving the car.

"Booth's angry at me," Brennan replied. "He thinks that because we're in a relationship, he has the right to tell me what I can do, or can't do to be more accurate."

"Sweetie," Angela started, "you're going to have to give e a little more information than that before I decide whether or not I should kick Booth's ass. So tell me, what happened?"

"He said that there's no way in hell he was going to let me go to Georgetown alone when there's 'a psycho killer on the loose'," Brennan explained. "I told him that I'm capable of taking care of myself, that I wouldn't be alone, and that we're perfectly safe there."

"Oh sweetie," Angela said. "He's just worried about you. He wants to protect you. And you going to the site where people are disappearing worries him. He's scared that something is going to happen and he won't be there to protect you."

"I understand that it's his alpha male tendencies at work here," Brennan said. "But I would have to conclude that it was a mistake to start a relationship with him. He wouldn't be acting like this is we weren't dating."

"Oh yes he would!" Angela exclaimed. "It makes no difference whether you admitted your feelings or not. It wouldn't change the fact that Booth is in love with you. He's always been overly protective of you, so don't even begin to think that your relationship is a mistake."

Brennan was quite for a few minutes. "Do you know where we're supposed to meet Morgan?" Brennan asked, changing the subject.

"She said she lives in the Henle Hall apartments. It's on the north end of campus," Angela said. "She told me that we should turn into the campus just before we reach Georgetown University Hospital. She said to park near the Leavey Center and she'd meet us in the parking lot."

Brennan followed the directions that Angela gave her. Within minutes, they were pulling into the parking lot. The Leavey Center is a beautiful light brown brick building with white trim. Angela and Brennan got out of the car and started to walk around, looking for Morgan, who was nowhere in sight.

"Do you see her anywhere?" Angela asked.

"No, I was hoping you did," Brennan replied, not liking the feeling of unease she was getting in the pit of her stomach. She told herself that there was no reason to panic, there was absolutely no evidence that something was wrong. "Are you sure she said she'd meet us in the parking lot?"

"Yeah," Angela replied, "Brennan, I don't like this. She should be here."

"I'm sure she's fine," Brennan said. "We are 15 minutes late. Perhaps she just went back to her dorm room to get ready. We should go check to see if she's there before letting ourselves panic. Do you know what room is hers?"

"Yeah, I do," Angela said as she started walking east, towards Henle Hall. She and Brennan roamed the halls for a good 10 minutes before finally reaching the apartment that belonged to Morgan. Angela knocked on the door. There was no answer, so she knocked again, this time more incessantly. Angela began to turn towards Brennan, panic clearly written on her face when the lights went out. She let out a few profanities as she grasped onto Brennan's arm. A few seconds later, the emergency lights turned on, illuminating the hallways in a creepy way that made all of the shadows seem threatening.

"Brennan, I really don't like this," Angela said. "Morgan is nowhere to be found, the lights are out, and the only thing lighting the hallway are these creepy emergency lights."

"Perhaps we should go back out the car and try calling her," Brennan concluded. "Maybe she went to a friend's room or-" Brennan's sentence was interrupted by a scream that echoed throughout the hallways. Without thinking, she ran towards the source of the sound, Angela hot on her heels. As soon as they rounded the corner, they saw Morgan, cornered by Tyrell Jones. Brennan jumped into action, grabbing Tyrell's arm and flipping him onto the ground, before placing herself in front of Morgan. Angela ran up and started beating Tyrell with her purse.

"Stop it!" Morgan yelled. "What are y'all doing? Have ya both lost your minds?" She pushed herself past Brennan before helping Tyrell get up off the ground. "I am so, so sorry Ty."

Tyrell got up off the ground, finally taking in his surroundings. He put his hand up to the back of his head, and started rubbing in an effort to ease his newly formed headache.

"What in hell were you thinking!" Morgan's exasperated voice rang loud, echoing off the walls. "You don't just go running down the hallway and attack someone."

Brennan and Angela were shocked by Morgan's reaction. "We heard you scream," Angela said.

"When we ran down here, we saw that you were backed into a corner. We thought he was going to hurt you," Brennan explained. "It was a perfectly logical assumption."

"Ugh!" Morgan exclaimed. "It was a scream of surprise, not fear. TJ's a good friend of mine. I was happy to see him. Why on earth would ya think I was in danger?"

"You weren't in the parking lot when we got here," Angela explained. "And you didn't answer your door when we knocked."

"It wasn't the fact that ya screamed, MJ," Tyrell said, breaking his silence for the first time. "That lady was here yesterday with some FBI dude. They were accusing me of murdering Annabelle and Joss."

"What!" Morgan said. "Ty, I think it would be best if ya left me alone to _talk_ with Ange and Dr. Brennan."

"Sure thing, sweet thang," Tyrell said as he leaned down to place a kiss on Morgan's cheek. Before standing upright once again, he whispered into Morgan's ear, "are ya sure you're okay to deal with them?"

"Yeah, Ty," Morgan replied. "But thanks." Tyrell returned to his upright position and then walked down the hallway. Morgan turned back towards Brennan and Angela and said, "You two. Follow me."

She led them back the hall towards her dorm room. The lights came back on when they reached her door. "Welcome, to G-Town," Morgan said sarcastically, before explaining that the University had been having some electrical problems lately. When she opened the door, she told them to take a seat in the living room. The dorm was nicer than the average dorm room. There was a full kitchen and a living room furnished with a sofa, two chairs, a TV, and a large cabinet. There were stairs which led up to the bedrooms. Through the living room, there were doors that led out to a patio. Angela and Brennan took a seat on the sofa.

"I can't believe you just did that," Morgan said, embarrassed. "I can't believe that you thought Ty was gonna hurt me."

"I'm sorry," Brennan said. "But with everything that's been occurring on campus, and the remains and DVD's we've had to examine, we were concerned for your safety."

"I'm glad you're concerned," Morgan admitted, "Really." She took a seat on the coffee table in front of Brennan and Angela. _It's more than I can say about most of my life. At least someone is concerned about me now, _she thought. "I really don't blame you, Dr. Brennan. It was just kinda embarrassing."

"What exactly is the relationship between you and Tyrell?" Angela asked, speaking up for the first time since the scene in the hallway. She had picked up on some tension between the two and it was confirmed when he kissed her on the cheek.

"Ty is a really good friend of mine," Morgan said, matter-of-factly.

"I'm not buying it, dear," Angela said. "You have some explaining to do."

"I met him freshman year," Morgan explained. "We really hit it off, you know? We dated for just about 2 years, before realizing that we were better off as just friends. He preferred to flirt with every girl he met, and I preferred my independence. I wanted to focus on my studies. I didn't really want to be in a relationship at the time. Are you satisfied, now?"

"Yeah, sweetie," Angela replied. "I really am sorry."

"I know," Morgan said. "Dr. Brennan, do you really think that Ty could have murdered those girls?"

"I don't know," Brennan replied. "There is no evidence to point us to the murderer, which is ridiculous because there obviously is a murderer. Until we find the evidence, I will be suspicious of everybody. And Tyrell is just about the only suspect who can be linked to both victims."

"He didn't do it," Morgan stated she looked at the clock hanging on the wall behind the couch. "Shit, I only have an hour until Vincent gets here."

"Well, we'd better hurry up and get you all dolled up for your date, then," Angela said, more relaxed. "Take us up to your room so that we can help ya pick out your outfit."

Morgan led them up the stairway to her room, which she shared with one other person. There was a second bedroom upstairs, also belonging to two people. Morgan's bedroom was a typical dorm room. The walls were a plain white color, with a few posters hanging up. There were two twin sized beds, two small three drawer dressers, two desks, and a large closet (which Morgan and her roommate shared).

"Where are you're roommates, hun?" Angela asked as they entered her bedroom.

"Um, Sarah is most likely at a party somewhere. I share this room with her. Kelly is at the library studying, and Aimee is probably at work. They're usually never around, except to sleep, so I pretty much get the place to myself most of the time. It's nice, really."

Morgan threw her keys down onto her bed, which was covered by a few ratty, worn down gray sheets and a tie blanket that was magenta on one side and black with pictures of magenta colored roses, skulls, and angel wings on the opposite side.

Angela walked over to the closet before asking, "Sweetie, which side is yours?"

"The right side," Morgan replied as she pulled out her makeup and hair products. She looked over at Brennan, who was busy analyzing her room. "Hey, Dr. Brennan, whatcha doin'?"

Brennan looked up from the set of pictures she was looking at to give Morgan a smile. "I was just looking at these pictures of you, Michelle, and Cam. You seem like you're really close."

"Yeah, Michelle has always been like a younger sister to me. She's the only person who knows everything about me," Morgan replied before running out of the room to go grab her curling iron.

Brennan set down the picture she was looking at and picked up the book that was sitting on the dresser next to her bed. It was a well worn copy of _Jane Eyre_, by Charlotte Brontë. Brennan opened the book, immediately noticing the writing on the inside of the front cover. It was a list of names. Brennan had a similar list, only hers was written on the bottom of a shoe.

"Put that back," Morgan said as soon as she reentered her room. Brennan immediately closed the book and placed it back onto the dresser. Brennan and Morgan shared a look of understanding before Angela broke the silence.

"Woah, calm down there, sweetie," Angela said. "Okay, so I picked out a few outfits that I think would be fine for tonight. Go try them on and come show us so we can help you decide." Angela shoved the clothes into Morgan's hands and guided her out the door. Turning back to Brennan, she asked, "What was that all about?"

"I'm not sure," Brennan lied.

Morgan entered the room a few seconds later in the first outfit. It was a cute green flutter sleeve dress. It had a v-neck and the dress was mid-thigh in length, which revealed just enough for a first date. There was a cute sash that wrapped around her waist and tied in the back. She looked towards Angela and Brennan for their approval.

"I like it," Brennan said. "It's really cute, Morgan."

"Nah," Angela said. "It is cute, but that's not the look we're trying to go for here. We want to go for _hot_."

Morgan left to go change into her next option. She walked into the room a few minutes later. This time she was wearing tight, black, skinny jeans and a beige, long-sleeved tunic top. There was a braided silk design that wrapped around her waistline. The sleeves were loose, but tightened at the elbows, before becoming loose again. The fabric was clinched at the collar, elbows and wrists.

"Much better," Angela said. "Put on some boots, and I think we have it!"

"Although it definitely is hot," Brennan started, "I'm not quite sure it is appropriate to wear to La Ferme. I think you'd be better off in a dress."

"Yeah, I think you're right, Dr. Brennan," Morgan said. "But I'll definitely keep this in mind for another, less fancy date."

Morgan made her way out to the bathroom to try on another outfit. She walked into her room a few minutes later, twirling so that the two women sitting on her bed could get a good look at the dress. "I really think this is the one!"

She was wearing a black, form-fitting dress that showed off her curves perfectly. It was mid-thigh in length, and it had a cowl-draped neckline with lace peeking out from the bust line.

"That dress is very sexually alluring," Brennan stated. "I'm sure that Mr. Nigel-Murray will be adequately satisfied seeing you wearing that."

"Oohhh, it's perfect!" Angela exclaimed. "Come here and have a seat. I'll go ahead and fix up your hair. Bren, go look for some shoes that go with this dress. And then try to find some jewelry."

Morgan went to sit at her desk chair while Angela went to work on her hair. Brennan was rummaging through her closet, looking for the perfect pair of heels. "How about these?" Brennan asked as she pulled out a pair of black, lace-up, stiletto booties from the closet.

"Perfect!" Angela exclaimed with a huge smile on her face. "Now find her some jewelry."

"All my jewelry is on my dresser, Dr. Brennan," Morgan said.

Brennan walked over to the dresser to look around at the jewelry she had on display. She decided on a thick necklace that consisted of black pearls and silver chains and a pair of chandelier earrings embellished with hematite-tone gems and rhinestones. When Angela was done with Morgan's hair, Morgan put on her booties and jewelry then let Angela get to work on her makeup. Angela finished at 6:55, giving them 5 minutes to relax before Vincent would arrive.

"Alright, sweetie," Angela said, "you have fun tonight. Vincent is a really sweet guy. I'm sure you're both going to have a lot of fun tonight."

Brennan handed a black clutch purse to Morgan before saying, "Yes, I agree. Despite his social ineptitude, he is a very nice guy. I can honestly conclude that given all of the evidence I have acquired from watching your interactions with him, you will enjoy this social rendezvous."

"Is that you're way of saying that I'm going to enjoy my date, Dr. Brennan?" Morgan asked.

"Yes," Brennan replied. "I believe I just said that."

Without thinking, Morgan ran over to Brennan and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you so much Dr. Brennan. I really appreciate your help tonight."

"You know, you don't always have to call me Dr. Brennan," Brennan replied as Morgan released her from the hug. Morgan nodded, but didn't correct herself. "And if you ever need to talk, about anything, my door is always open. You can call me anytime." Brennan pulled Morgan into another hug.

"Alright, you two," Angela said. "We should probably get going before Vincent gets here. We don't want him to get nervous by seeing his boss here, now do we?"

"You're right," Morgan said with a smile on her face. "Ange, thank you so much."

"It's no problem," Ange said. "I never had a little sis to play dress up with or to help with getting ready for dates and stuff. So I've decided that you're my surrogate sister. Now, should we sneak out through the patio, or is the front door okay?"

"Hahaha. The front door is good," Morgan replied. The three of them walked down the stairs and to the front door. Angela and Brennan were able to get out to the car without running into Mr. Nigel-Murray.

Brennan drove Angela over to Hodgins' estate. When she pulled up the driveway, Hodgins came out to greet them. "Well hey there, Dr. B," he said as Angela opened her door. "Thanks for bringing her back in one piece," he joked. "You know, Booth has been calling here every 10 minutes for the past hour and a half. He says he kept calling you, but you won't answer. I think he's worried about you."

Angela jabbed her elbow into Hodgins' side. "Ouch, what was that for?"

"For putting your nose where it doesn't belong," Angela explained. "Bren, maybe you should call him."

"He's probably still angry at me," Brennan said. "Especially for not answering his calls."

"I didn't even hear your phone ring," Angela said.

"I turned it off as soon as Booth and I had our argument. I didn't really feel like being bothered by him," Brennan explained. "Now he's going to be even more upset with me."

"Dr. B," Hodgins started, but stopped when he saw the glare that Angela was giving him.

"Bren, he's most likely not angry at you," Angela said. "Worried, yes. Upset, sure. But he's probably upset with himself for pushing you, more than anything else. Call him." With that, Angela shut the door and followed Hodgins inside his house.

Brennan reached into her purse, pulled out her phone, and turned it on. She was surprised to see that she had 23 missed calls, all but two were from Booth. He'd sent her a few texts and left 2 voice mails. She dialed her voice mailbox and listened to her messages.

The first one said: _Bones, please answer your phone. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that. God, I shouldn't be doing this over the phone. Please call me._

The second voice mail said: _Bones, Temperance, where are you? Why aren't you answering. I'm really worried about you. It's after 7 and I still haven't heard from you. Please call. If for nothing else, just to let me know that you're alright._

Brennan deleted the voice mails and scrolled through her texts. They were all similar to the voice mails. She threw her phone into her purse, deciding it was better if she didn't call him right now. What needed to be said shouldn't be said over the phone.

**AN: The next chapter will be about Booth and what he and Parker did while Brennan and Angela were helping Morgan get ready for her date. I'll also be posting some of Morgan and Vincent's date. I'll try to post it as soon as I possibly can!**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: So, this is not exactly the chapter y'all were hoping for. I know ya wanna see what happens with Booth and Brennan, and I promise that'll be next chapter. Instead, I have decided that it makes more sense to put this chapter first. It's Morgan and Vincent's date. Enjoy!**

CHAPTER 12:

The second that Angela and Dr. Brennan left the dorm, Morgan's nerves began to get the better of her. All of her fears and doubts about the evening were overwhelming, she'd never been so nervous in her entire life. She really liked Vincent. In fact, never in her life has she felt about anyone the way she feels about Vincent. From the moment she met him, they had an instant connection. He was cute, awkward, really smart, and quite possibly the sweetest guy she'd ever met.

First dates are always nerve-wracking. But this, this was on a whole 'nother level. The combination of the nerves and the anticipation made her unable to sit still. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest, and her mouth had gone dry. She walked into the kitchen to grab herself a glass of water, although at the moment, she felt that maybe a touch of alcohol would be better able to take the edge off and calm her down slightly. She grabbed a glass from the cupboard and turned the sink on. She let the water fill the glass halfway before shutting off the sink. As soon as she brought the glass to her lips, she heard someone knocking on the door.

"Well, this is it," she told herself as she set the glass back down onto the counter. "You better not screw this up." She walked over to the door, and, she placed one of her shaking hands on the doorknob. She took a deep breath as she pulled open the door.

"Did you know that speed dating was invented by a rabbi from Los Angeles and is based on the Jewish tradition of chaperoned gatherings of young Jewish singles?" Vincent said nervously when she opened the door. He was holding a single yellow rose that was tipped in red.

Morgan laughed at his random fact. He knew exactly how to make her feel at ease, although he clearly was just as nervous as her. "Well, it's a darn good thing we ain't Jewish. Or speed dating, for that matter." She smiled at him as she grabbed her purse and coat from the table next to the door. "Ready?"

"Yes," he replied as she walked into the hallway and shut the door. "This is for you." He handed her the rose.

"Thank you," she said as she took it from him. "It's really unique. I've never seen a yellow rose that was tipped in red before."

Vincent simply smiled at her. "You look very beautiful tonight, by the way." He held out his hand for her, which she gladly took, blushing as they made their way out to the parking lot. When they got to his car, he opened the passenger side door for her, before making his way over to the driver's seat.

La Ferme, the upscale restaurant Vincent had decided to take Morgan to, was located in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Chevy Chase is one of the nicer suburbs of the DC Metro area. It was about a 15 minute drive from her dorm. Vincent spent that time concentrating on the late evening DC traffic. Morgan decided to play around with the radio, before settling on a station that was playing hip hop music.

"Ooohhh, I love this song!" Morgan exclaimed when a new song started up. She turned up the volume on the radio. "Have you heard this yet?"

"Um, no," Vincent replied. "Although I am open to all types of music, hip hop is the one genre I tend to shy away from." Morgan laughed. "But I have to admit, this song is quite catchy."

"Yeah, Nelly sure does have a way with words," Morgan said. "He hasn't put out a new song in practically forever, but I'm glad he finally did." Morgan left it at that, switching from talking about the music to singing along with it. Vincent kept stealing glances at her as she was dancing in her seat and belting out the song at the top of her lungs.

"I was thinkin 'bout her, thinkin 'bout me, thinkin 'bout us, what we gonna be..."

Vincent was so entranced by Morgan at this point, he wished he didn't have to focus on the road. Morgan was so carefree, she didn't care who was watching. All that mattered to her at the moment was singing and dancing along to the song. And she had an amazing voice too. Vincent just couldn't get enough of it.

"If ya ever loved somebody put your hands up. If ya ever loved somebody put your hands up..." Morgan laughed as she was singing, and acting out, these lines. "Aww, come on, Vincent. Haven't ya ever loved somebody before? You're supposed to put your hands up!" Morgan laughed some more as she saw Vincent's cheeks flush with color.

"Oh look, we're here," he said, halting any further conversation on the topic of love.

"Oh my god!" Morgan exclaimed. "It's so freakin beautiful!" She looked over to Vincent before saying, "Thank you, Vincent. It's the perfect place for our first date."

The restaurant was a cute little building that reminded Morgan of a cottage, one that could be found straight out of the french countryside. It was a quaint little one story building. It was off-white with seafoam green trim and a faded black roof. There was a covered porch entryway that led from the sidewalk outside into the waiting area. The entire place held a very Parisian atmosphere. The main dining room was very airy and open, giving it a welcoming feel.

Upon reaching the podium, Vincent told the hostess that he had made reservations for two.

"Would you to sit in the main dining room, or outside on the terrace?" the hostess asked.

Morgan and Vincent looked at each other for a moment before both saying, "the terrace."

The hostess showed the two to their table, dimly lit by a mix of candles, moonlight, and a few strategically placed soft lamps. They were seated in a small table near the corner. The table was decorated with fine china, crystal champagne flutes, and in the center of the table was beautiful vase filled with a mix of red, white, coral, and lavender roses.

Vincent pulled Morgan's seat out for her before taking a seat himself. The waitress gave them their menus and informed them that their waiter would be with them shortly.

"It's so beautiful here," Morgan commented after the hostess left. She opened up her menu and took a look at the cuisine offered. Upon looking at the extremely expensive prices, she said "Oh my god, are you sure you can afford this! We can go somewhere else that's cheaper. I don't mind."

"Relax, Morgan," he replied. "I knew exactly how much it would cost to come here, before we even arrived. And trust me, you're worth every penny."

Morgan smiled and looked away in an effort to hide the shades of red that were without a doubt present on her cheeks. "Thank you."

The waiter came over a few minutes later to get them started with drinks and an appetizer. His thick (fake) french accent brought their attention away from their menus. "Good evening, Monsieur et Mademoiselle. My name is Michel Laurent and I will be your waiter. 'Ow may I 'elp you this evening?"

While the waiter was looking at Vincent, Morgan rolled her eyes and smiled, making Vincent laugh before he could start to order."

"Well, sir," Vincent started, "you may start us off with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rose champagne. I'll start off with a Caesar salad and I'll have the Roast Duckling Breast for the main course."

"Et for you, Mademoiselle?"

Morgan was speechless. Vincent just ordered an extremely expensive bottle of champagne. It took her a moment to regain her composure and realize that she had been asked a question. She looked down at her menu and chose the cheapest appetizer she could find. "I'll take the mixed baby greens."

"Et for the main course?"

"Um..." Morgan started. Once again she chose the cheapest item she could find. "I'll have the breast of free range chicken."

The waiter nodded as he wrote down their order. "I'll 'ave the champagne et the first part of your dinner sent out shortly." He turned around and left the couple alone.

"Vincent," Morgan started. "You really shouldn't have brought me here. It's so expensive!"

"What did I say?" Vincent said. "Worth every penny. Even if the dinner tastes horrible, it'll still be the best dinner I've ever had."

Morgan didn't know how to respond to this. "That champagne costs $170 though! You really, really don't have to spend that much."

"I wanted to," he replied. "Did you know that there are approximately 49 million bubbles in a 750ml bottle of champagne?"

"Hahaha, no, Vincent. I did not know that." Morgan smiled at him. If any other guy acted the way Vincent did, taking her to a fancy restaurant and spending a lot of money on her, she'd know he was just trying to impress her, thinking that they'd get in her pants by the end of the night. She knew that wasn't the case with Vincent. He genuinely liked her, and he was nervous around her. He's _still_ nervous around her. She found that quite endearing. Normally she didn't fall for the brainy, quirky types. But there was just something about him. She couldn't get enough. "Anything else I should know about champagne?"

Smiling at Morgan, he began to explain the history of champagne, from its origin in France (by the Romans) to the creation of the champagne 'coupe' (which was modeled in the shape of Marie Antoinette's breast) to a few random facts about the champagne cork (and the fact it had the capability of popping out of the bottle with a velocity of 100 mph).

Sometime during their conversation, the waiter had brought out their champagne and appetizers. They picked through their appetizers as they continued to discuss random facts about champagne, before moving to other alcoholic beverages. Their entrees came shortly after they had finished their appetizers.

During the main course, the conversation took a turn to more personal matters.

"So, Vincent," Morgan began. "Why'd you choose to study forensic anthropology?"

"I'm not quite certain that there's a specific instance, or moment, that made me make that decision," he began. "I've always been good at math and the sciences. But I didn't want to become strictly a scientist. Anthropology is very intriguing. It adds a whole new dimension to science. It takes people into account, cultures. It's not just objective data anymore. It adds an aspect of subjectivity."

"I get that," Morgan said. "But make sure you don't talk like that in front of Dr. Brennan. She's a scientist all the way, or at least that's the front she likes to put on."

"So, what made you decide on philosophy?" Vincent asked as he took a bite of his duck.

"It's an extremely fascinating topic," Morgan started. "It has such a history in human existence. Since the beginning of time, humans have been trying to explain the meaning of practically everything; life, the soul, beauty, love. The list could go on and on."

"And art history?"

"I dunno. I guess I've always been artistic. And studying the aesthetics of art seems to parallel my studies of philosophy."

"Do you know what you'd like to do for a career?"

Morgan smiled widely before answering his question. "If I tell ya a secret, you promise not to tell anybody?"

"Absolutely," he replied, eager to learn about something more private in her life.

"Ever since I was a little girl, I've always wanted to be an actress and a singer," Morgan explained. "But as I grew up, I began to realize that it is improbable that I could make a living doing that. I chose to pursue other interests in college and form a career from that. I'm thinking of becoming a professor of philosophy."

"What about acting and singing though?" Vincent asked. "Surely you're not going to give up on that dream! From what I heard in the car, you're an extremely talented singer."

"Thank you," Morgan replied, once again blushing. "I'll still do that on the side, but it would be irresponsible for me to believe that I would make a living doing that. I'm fine with it being just a hobby."

"Yeah, I understand your reasoning," Vincent admitted. "I'm sure your parents are glad you've chosen a more practical career to pursue."

Morgan's eyes began to water slightly. She broke her eye contact with him and looked down to her plate. "Actually, my parents died when I was a baby. My only family is my uncle, and I haven't had much contact with him in years."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Vincent said, trying to make up for his blunder.

"Don't worry about it," she replied. They remained silent for a few minutes, both slowly picking at their food. The waiter was the one who effectively broke their silence.

"May I 'elp the two of you to dessert before you leave?"

Vincent looked over to Morgan, sharing a look of understanding. "Yes," he said to their waiter. "We'll both take the chocolate mousse cake."

Morgan smiled at Vincent, instantly in a better mood. "I love chocolate mousse!"

"I know," he replied. "I remember seeing you eating it one day at the Jeffersonian."

"You really are the perfect man, aren't you?" she said, surprising even herself with her bold statement. She decided to quickly change the subject. "These roses really are pretty, aren't they?"

"They really are," Vincent agreed. "Did you know that each color has a meaning?"

"I did know that, but I don't know what the meanings are," Morgan confessed with a smile.

Vincent smiled right back as he began to explain their meanings. "Well, the traditional red rose means love and beauty. The white rose means purity and innocence. The coral rose means desire. And finally, the lavender rose means love at first sight."

"What about the yellow rose, like the one you gave me?"

"Yellow roses traditionally mean friendship, but one tipped in red, as the one I gave you," he began, "has the meaning of falling in love." He was careful to maintain eye contact, trying to gauge her reaction.

She kept his eye contact. She was truly touched by his gesture, and she returned his feelings. Although she's not ready to admit that she's in love, she is willing to admit that she seems to be falling in that direction. "Thank you." She took both his hands in her own. "I feel as if I am falling that direction as well."

Their dessert came just as they were finishing that conversation. They both indulged in their desserts, marveling in its sweet taste. They finished up, and then Vincent paid for their dinner. Morgan wasn't sure of the exact price, but she knew it had to be well over $200. As they walked out of the restaurant, they decided not to go to the car. Instead, they found themselves walking aimlessly down the street, their hands entwined. Neither said a word, just merely enjoying the other's company.

Eventually they found a park to walk through. The park was small, compared to others in the metro area. There was a soccer field, a tennis court, and a playground.

As they meandered through the park, Morgan decided to break their silence. "Did you hear our waiter's accent! Oh my gosh, it was so fake!" She smiled up at him and waited for his response.

"Yes, I did notice that," he replied. "And I noticed that you were quite amused by it."

"Yes, I was. 'E 'ad an 'orrible accent," she said trying to imitate the fake french accent. "Monsieur et Mademoiselle, 'ow may I 'elp you this evening?"

They both laughed at the absurdity of it all.

When they reached the playground, they decided to take a seat on one of the benches.

"Listen, I'm sorry I brought up a sore subject earlier," Vincent started, unsure if it was wise to be talking about this. But he believed it needed to be said. "I didn't know about your history. I want you to know that I won't ask about it again, but if you ever decide you'd like to talk, just know I'm here for you."

She rested her head on his shoulder as his arm wrapped around her. "I know, and thank you. It's just that it's not something I like to talk about. Michelle is the only person who knows what I went through. And that's only because she was there. She witnessed it."

"Okay," Vincent said. They sat there quietly for a while, looking up at the stars. Eventually they got into a discussion about the constellations and the meanings behind them, and they lost track of time. It was only when Morgan began to yawn that they realized how late it had gotten.

"Wow, I should probably get you back to your dorm," Vincent said. "It's already almost 2."

"Yeah, I suppose," she replied. They got up off the bench and began to walk back towards his car. Once they got in and got back onto the road she asked, "Are you going to be at the Jeffersonian tomorrow?"

"Yes, Dr. Brennan wants me to take yet another look at the bones from both of our Georgetown victims, see if it's possible we missed anything, however unlikely."

"I have a meeting with my advisor tomorrow morning before I come in. She wants to discuss the paper I submitted to a philosophy conference at Colby College in Maine. They chose mine, so I get to go up there and present it to an audience."

"Wow, that's great!" Vincent said. "When do you head up there?"

"In about a week and a half. In 12 days to be exact. I leave a week from this coming Wednesday, and I'll be gone through the weekend. I'll get back Monday."

"That's so great!" he said. "I'm happy for you. That's a really big deal."

Vincent pulled into the parking lot by her dorm. He got out of the car and walked her up to her apartment. Upon reaching the door, she took out her key and put it into the doorknob, before turning back to Vincent. "I had a really great time tonight."

"Me too," he replied. "Perhaps you'd be willing to go on a second date with me?"

"I'd love that," she replied, her hazel eyes sparkling in the dim fluorescent lights.

They stood staring into each other's eyes for a few moments before he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "I'll see you at work tomorrow."

She nodded, her mind too clouded from the feeling of having his lips brush against her skin. She started to turn towards the door, before changing her mind and turing to Vincent once again. "Vincent?"

He stepped forward, concerned. "Yeah?"

She stepped close to him, putting her hand on the back of his head and pulling it down to hers, her lips experimenting with the feel of his lips sliding against hers. After too brief a time, she pulled away. "Goodnight." She gave him a smile and walked through her door, leaving him stunned. He turned to walk back to his car, his thoughts solely on the one girl who he wanted to spend all his time with. The one who just made this one of the best nights of his life.

**AN: How'd you like this chapter! I'd love to know what you thought. We don't know too much about Vincent, and I know some of you may think he was out of character, but b/c we don't know much about him, I took some artistic liberties. I hope to have the next chapter up either tomorrow or Monday. After that, I can only guarantee one update per week. There may be more, but I'll only guarantee one. I've gotten quite busy since school started, and now with my internship I'm find I virtually have no time to myself, but I love being this busy :) **


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13:

Booth walked out of Brennan's office and went straight to his SUV. How could things have gone from so good this morning to so horrible this afternoon? This morning he had woken up to Brennan's very skilled mouth caressing his body. Now they had just had a fight. It was the last thing he had wanted to happen the day after they had finally gotten their act together. It took everything in him not to turn around, walk back into Brennan's office, and argue his case some more. Bones could be so damn stubborn. She shouldn't be so confidant in her ability to protect herself. Sure, she could hold her own and take care of herself-most of the time-but she shouldn't have to. He just wished that she'd realize his concern for her safety comes from his love for her, not out of a need to control her.

Mostly, he just wished that she would realize that she sure as hell shouldn't be walking around "psycho heaven" without him there to protect her. She should realize that it isn't safe for her to be walking around in the midst of where people are being abducted. Sure, so far it has only been students who have been kidnapped and then murdered. And, sure, there have been no direct threats on her life. But, that doesn't mean she's not in danger. People know that she's investigating the murders, and that she's the best in her field. The murderer could see this as a prime opportunity to ensure that he'd never get caught.

Before he knew it, he was pulling up outside of Rebecca's house. After parking the car, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Brennan. When her voicemail came on, he left her a message saying, "Bones, please answer your phone. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that. God, I shouldn't be doing this over the phone. Please call me."

He knew that she was probably still upset with him and was ignoring his call. Before getting out of the car, he typed out a text to her: Bones, I'm sorry. I'm just picking up Parker now. I'll tell him about us during dinner. Please be careful.

When he was sure that the text was sent, he closed his phone and shoved it into his pocket. He took the keys out of the ignition and hopped out of the car to walk up to Rebecca's door. Before he got halfway up the sidewalk, the front door flew open and Parker came running out to greet him, holding a closed box in one hand.

"Dad! Guess what!"

"What is it, little man?" Booth replied, his mood immediately lightening upon seeing his son's excitement.

"This kid at school, Jason-who I never really liked much because he beat up Kathy Sadaris at lunch once and made her cry-anyway, at recess, he got bit by a humongous spider! His arm swelled to twice it's size and he broke out in what teacher called 'hives'!"

"Is the kid alright!"

Parker grinned at him. "Yeah, though he had to go to the doctor. He said he's allergic to spiders!"

"Did somebody kill the spider, so it didn't bite anybody else?"

Parker's grin grew wider at the mention of the spider's fate. "Yep. I did. Everybody else was scared of the thing. All the girls were screaming. I stepped in and saved the day, dad. Just like you would've!"

Booth let a proud smile grace his face. His son wanted to be a hero, like him. "We Booth men aren't afraid of no spider, are we, Parks?"

"Nope," he replied before continuing his story. "I asked the teacher if I could bring it home with me to show the bug man where Dr. Bones works, and she let me!" Parker showed Booth the box and then opened it to reveal a very large, dead spider. "See! Can we go show the bug man sometime this weekend! Can we, dad?"

"I dunno, bud," Booth replied. "He might be kind of busy this weekend."

Parker gave him his best puppy dog eyes. "Please, dad! I know he'd wanna to see it."

"We'll see. Why don't you go run in and grab your things. Then we can head over to the diner." Parker ran back into the house, nearly knocking Rebecca over and he ran through the front door.

"Parker, no running in the house!" Rebecca called after him. "Hi, Seeley."

"Hey, Beccs," Booth replied. "Thanks for letting me have him this weekend."

"Yeah, no problem. He misses you," she said. "It's all he's been talking about all week. That, and hoping that he'll get to see some girl named Morgan, who apparently works with Dr. Brennan. I think he's got a little crush on her."

"Yeah," Booth laughed, "he sure does."

"I do NOT have a crush on Morgan," Parker said as he came running back down the stairs, his bag of clothes in one hand and the box with the spider in his other. "I just think she's cool, that's all."

"Sure you don't," Booth said with a smile.

oOo

A good 40 minutes later, Booth and Parker were seated at the diner, waiting for their food to come. On the ride over, Booth had tried to call Brennan two more times, to no avail. It was still early, just barely 6 o'clock. Booth figured that she and Angela were just getting started on helping Morgan get ready for her date with the Brit.

"I meant what I said, ya know," Parker said, breaking Booth's train of thought.

"About what, bud?"

"Morgan," he stated matter-of-factly, like Booth should've known all along who he'd be talking about.

"That you don't like her?" Booth guessed.

"No!" Parker exclaimed. "I do like her. Just not how you like Dr. Bones."

"And how do you think I like Bones?"

"Dad, I'm almost 10 years old. I'm not a kid anymore," Parker explained. "You want her to be your girlfriend, to sex up."

Booth spit out the water he had been stupid enough to take a drink of. And just his luck, the waitress had chosen that exact moment to bring them their food.

Parker laughed at his dad. "Why'd you spit your water out at the waitress, dad?"

"I'm sorry," he said to the waitress, whom had a very amused look on her face. Obviously she'd overheard his and Parker's conversation.

"Ain't nothin' to be worried about, hun," the waitress replied as she set the food down in front of them. "Though if it would've hit me, that would be a whole 'nother story," she joked as she walked away, though Booth was sure that she wouldn't be wandering out of earshot.

Parker was laughing during their whole exchange. Booth had no idea how he was going to respond to Parker's statement. Heck, he was still trying to get the embarrassment to stop showing so brightly on his face.

"Parker," Booth started as he was trying to decide the best way to address the situation. Thinking back on the time Parker was asking the women he worked with to be his girlfriend, and Bones' idea to just be honest and ask the kid, he decided to settle on honesty. "Do you even know what 'sex up' means?"

Parker thought for a moment, before he confessed, "Not really. I just know it's something boyfriend and girlfriend do. And you and Bones are always spending time together. I know you like her. You should be boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Okay," Booth said. "You're right, I do like Bones. How would you feel if she were my girlfriend?"

"That'd be cool," Parker said. "I like Dr. Bones! She's really nice, smarter than everyone else in the world, and she lets us use her pool!"

"Well, good," Booth said. "I'm glad you approve, because Bones and I...we're dating."

Parker nodded as he took a bite out of his hamburger. "If you two are dating, why isn't she having dinner with us?"

"She wanted to give us some time to talk," Booth said. "Plus she's over at Morgan's right now." Booth decided not to let Parker know about Morgan's date. He can deny it all he wants, but Booth knew that Parker had a thing for Morgan and would be crushed.

"Can we invite her over tonight to watch movies with us? I want to show her my spider. She can stay the night like Brent does and then maybe she can take us to see the bug man tomorrow!"

"Sure thing, bud," Booth replied with a smile. "We'll ask her."

"Can I call her?" Parker asked excitedly.

"Yeah, I suppose so," Booth said as he pulled out his cell phone. "She might not pick up though because she might still be busy. If she doesn't answer, hang up and I'll send her a text."

Parker rolled his eyes as Booth dialed Brennan's number. He handed the phone to Parker, watching Parker pick at his fries as the phone rang. After a few moments, Parker handed him the phone because she didn't pick up. Booth typed up a quick text: I just told Parker about us. He wanted me to ask you to come over tonight.

"Parker, why don't you go into the bathroom and wash up while I pay," Booth said once he put his phone away. "Then we can stop to rent some movies."

When Parker got up to go to the bathroom, Booth quickly pulled out his phone and dialed up Hodgins.

"Hello?" Hodgins' voice said as he answered his phone.

"Hey Hodgins," Booth said. "Listen, have you heard from Bones or Angela tonight?"

"Oh. Hey there, G-Man," Hodgins replied. "No, not since they left the lab. Is everything okay?"

"Damn," Booth swore. "Bones won't answer her phone. Listen, if you hear from either of them, give me a call." He hung up with Hodgins and got up to pay for their meal. When Parker came out of the bathroom, they made their way out to the SUV.

When he was making sure Parker got in okay, his cell phone rang. He looked at his phone and saw that it was his boss calling.

"Booth," he answered. "Hold on a sec-Parker, stay here while I go take this call." Booth walked a few feet from the car, leaving Parker to watch him with curiosity. Booth returned a few minutes later, no longer in a good mood. "Hey, Parks, I gotta make a few more calls. I'm sorry. It'll only take a few more minutes, I promise."

He took a look at the clock, it was getting close to 7. He knew that Bones should be done soon. He called her a few times, frantically trying to reach her. She still didn't answer, so he settled on sending her a text: Bones, something happened. I need you to call me. After sending the message, he realized that it could be misinterpreted, so he sent her another: It's about the case. I don't want to make you worried, but please call me. I need to know you're alright.

Before getting back into the car, he called Hodgins again.

"Hey G-Man," he said as he answered.

"Hodgins, have you-"

"No, Booth. I haven't heard from them yet. You just called a few minutes ago. Had I heard from them, I would've called you. You really need to relax, G-Man."

"Hodgins, another girl was reported missing from Georgetown."

"What! When?"

"She was last seen about 41 hours ago, when she left a local bar. She was walking back to the dorms."

"Shit!" Hodgins replied. "I'll try calling Angela. You keep calling Dr. B."

They hung up immediately, and Booth decided to try calling one more time before him and Parker left to go rent a movie. Of course she didn't answer. He decided that he'd call her when they got to the video store, and if she didn't answer that time, he'd leave her another voicemail.

oOo

"Okay, bud," Booth said as him and Parker walked into the store. "Go pick out a couple movies that you'd like to see. I've got a few more calls to make."

Parker ran off to the 'family films' section. Booth pulled out his cell and tried calling Bones once more. She still wasn't answering. He was beginning to panic. Something had to have gone wrong. He could feel it. Something wasn't right. When her voicemail came on, he left a message saying, "Bones, Temperance, where are you? Why aren't you answering. I'm really worried about you. It's after 7 and I still haven't heard from you. Please call. If for nothing else, just to let me know that you're alright."

Parker came running up a few minutes later, bringing two films with him. They went and purchased their movie rentals before returning to his apartment, where he called Bones a few more times while Parker changed into more comfortable clothes and got the first movie ready.

oOo

Brennan pulled up to the apartment building at about quarter to 8. She felt guilty about not calling Booth, but she didn't want to get into this over the phone. Plus, he had Parker. He didn't need to get into an argument with her over the phone when he should be having a good time with his son. One of the texts that he had sent her informed her that Parker approved of their new-found relationship. Parker wanted her to come over tonight. And quite frankly, she wanted to go see them.

The problem was that she was still somewhat angry with Booth. They'd only been together for one day, and it felt like he was trying to control her. Angela had said that wasn't the case, that Booth was just so much in love with her that he wanted to make sure she was safe, that she didn't get hurt. But it felt an awful lot like controlling. If their relationship was going to progress any further, then they needed to have a serious talk.

In one of Booth's texts, he had mentioned that something had happened, having to do with the case. She felt guilty about not calling Booth right away to ask what happened, but if it was serious enough she'd have gotten a call from Cam. But she didn't. So obviously whatever happened wasn't an emergency and could wait until she was face-to-face with Booth.

She sat in her car for a few more moments before unbuckling her seatbelt and getting out to walk up to the building. She got in the elevator and pressed the number for the correct floor. The ride up seemed to take forever, but when the doors finally re-opened and she walked to the apartment door, she found herself wishing she was still inside the elevator. She took a deep breath before knocking.

The door flung open a few seconds later. She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to gauge his reaction. He stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

"Bones," Booth said, silently thanking God that she was safe and standing there in his doorway. She looked nervous, and he could tell that she was still upset with him. "I'm so sorry. About everything."

She nodded. "We'll talk about it later. Right now is your time with Parker. I came here to watch a movie, that is, if you still want me here tonight."

He didn't verbalize an answer. Instead, he closed the distance between them and pulled her into a kiss. It was heated from the get-go. Both saying what they were unable to say with words. He backed her up against the wall, not letting her escape. His fear of losing her and his desire to feel connected, to be one with her, controlled his every action.

She was the one to break the kiss. "Booth?"

"Mmmhmm?" he mumbled as he attempted to prolong their kiss.

"You never did give me an answer."

He pulled away from her and looked into her eyes. It was a serious question, but he laughed anyway. "Do I still want you here? Oh hell yes. I wouldn't want it any other way." He pulled her into an embrace.

"I'm sorry I worried you," she muttered into his chest. She stayed in his arms for a few more seconds before pulling back and saying, "We should probably go inside."

He nodded, grabbed her hand, and led her into his apartment.

"Bones! You're finally here!" Parker exclaimed as he paused the film. "Come sit down next to me. I'll tell ya what you missed, so far."

She followed Booth to the couch, sitting in between him and Parker. Booth never let go of her hand. Parker explained the plot of the film. The film shared a name with a book she read in school about some girl who follows a rabbit down a rabbit hole, however improbable/impossible that might be. Apparently the film was based on the book, but this film's world was completely distorted. Whoever heard of mushrooms bigger than trees and a person whose head is much bigger, proportionately speaking, than the rest of her body. Clearly that would be physically impossible in real life, which she made sure to inform Booth and Parker about.

Despite the strange visual effects of the film, Brennan found herself enjoying the social commentary. Throughout the film, she would repeatedly lean over to Booth and explain all the ways this film was about a utopian society. When the film ended, Brennan seemed to get fairly upset with how the story played out.

"That's completely ridiculous," Brennan said as the credits began to roll. The entire film was about creating a utopia through positive, humane social changes. Not one character was slain, except for the Japperbocky-"

"Jabberwocky," Booth interjected.

"The White Queen spent the entire film transforming the kingdom into a peaceful place, a utopia, but the ending undermined it all! Alice chose to go home to a capitalistic society, and it emphasized that the most important thing in life is not humane change, but rather the potential for personal and financial gain."

"Jeez relax, Bones!" Booth said. "It was just a movie. It's a form of entertainment. You're reading way to much into it."

Sometime during her rant, Parker had chosen to get up and go make some popcorn. He came back into the room and put the second film into the DVD player. He sleepily walked back to the couch and sat back down next to Brennan.

Brennan decided that it was pointless to analyze that film any longer and decided to reposition herself on the couch. She had long since lost her shoes, and she pulled her feet up onto the couch. She curled up into Booth, letting him wrap his arm around her shoulders. She let her head rest against his chest.

The second film was a Disney film about a robot whose job was to clean up Earth while the humans lived a comfy, albeit lazily unhealthy life in a spaceship. This film was filled with social commentary about the environment and shopping centers, but Brennan decided to keep most of it to herself in order to let the two Booth boys enjoy the overall story line of the film. About halfway through the movie, Parker fell asleep with his head resting on Brennan's waist. Brennan must've dozed off too, because the next thing she knew she was being woken up by Booth and the credits were rolling.

"Hey, Bones," Booth said as he poked her in the ribs. "Pst...Bones, wake up!"

"Boo-ooth," Brennan whined, "stop poking me."

"I can't help it that you fell asleep," Booth smiled down at her. "Come on, wake up. I gotta get up so I can carry Parker to his bedroom. By the looks of things, he definitely won't be waking up til morning."

Brennan tried her best to sit herself up without jostling Parker too much. Booth got up and picked up Parker, carrying down the hallway. Brennan stood up and started cleaning the living room. Now that Booth had woken her up, she found herself to be wide awake. She carried the bowl of half eaten popcorn and their left over drinks into the kitchen. She emptied the popcorn bowl and started washing it in the sink.

Booth came into the living room after tucking Parker into bed. He saw that Brennan wasn't there. He heard her moving around the kitchen, so he walked over there and stood in the doorway watching her doing dishes. He walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and placed his head on her shoulders. He felt her shiver at the contact.

"Hey there, Bones."

"Hey, Booth," she replied. "Is Parker in his room?"

"Yep, and sleeping like a log," he replied.

"I don't know what that means, but there is a definite flaw in that statement," Brennan explained. "Logs are not conscious beings, therefore they do not sleep."

He smiled and moved her hair from her neck to give him better access. He began placing soft kisses up and down the length of her neck. When he got to the spot just below her ear, he heard her sharp intake of breath. She set the bowl on the counter and turned around to face him. She pulled his head down to meet hers, their lips locking in a sweet, passionate kiss.

Before things got much further, Brennan pulled back from the kiss. They looked into each other's eyes for a few moments searching for answers, but neither one wishing to speak. She broke the silence first, "Booth, we need to talk."

He nodded as he stepped back, motioning to the table. She shook her head, grabbed his hand, and led him back out to the living room. They both took a seat on the couch.

"So..." he said, trying to ease the awkward tension. "I guess we never really talked about what happened."

"No, we didn't," she agreed. She found an invisible flaw on the bottom of her shirt and began picking at it. She took a deep breath before continuing. "Last night...Last night, I don't regret it. Not in the least. But the problem is that we never-"

"Never got around to talking about how this'll affect our partnership," Booth finished for her.

"Yes, but not just that, Booth. This...it affects everything. It changes everything."

"I know," he said, grabbing her hand. "But in a good way."

"How can you say that?" she asked, getting more upset by the second. She felt her eyes begin to fill with tears. "The FBI won't let us work together if we're in a relationship."

"We'll figure it out, Bones. We'll figure it out. Besides, we've been in a relationship for years. I know that I've been in love with you for a very long time. The only thing that's changed is that we now have a physically intimate relationship. It doesn't change how I feel about you, so it won't change the way we work. We just need to make the FBI see that somehow."

"Okay, say that we can still work together, what if something happens. We get into too big of an argument that causes our relationship to crumble. Or you get tired of me and leave. Or I can't make as big of a commitment as you would like, so you decide you can't love me anymore."

"We just take things one day at a time, Bones. But I can promise you that I will always love you. Just the way you are. I don't need you to change. I know your views on marriage and commitment, and I accept them. So long as I have you in my life, that's all I need. And I would never get tired of you. And we've gotten into huge arguments before and everything has worked out just fine. I love you, Bones. That's it. That's enough. And so long as you love me, and want to be with me, we can make it through anything."

By now, the tears were freely falling from her eyes. She didn't bother to try to hide them or wipe them away. "Booth. I do love you. I do. And I want this relationship with you. Know that. No matter how much I fight it or try to run away from it. Just remember, please."

Booth nodded. That was all he needed to know. That she was willing to give this a try, a serious attempt to make this work. He couldn't stand to see the sadness or the tears in Brennan's eyes any longer, so he pulled her into an embrace. She melted into his strength. For a few moments, everything was peaceful.

"But we still have to discuss the matter that happened earlier today, Booth."

"I'm sorry about that, really," he said. "How many times do I have to tell you that? And in how many ways? Look, I was scared, concerned for your safety. I overreacted."

"Angela said that you acted like that because your in love with me. I believe that is true, but you need to realize that I am an independent woman. I can, and do, take care of myself. I won't let myself be controlled by others. And you were trying to control me."

"Bones, I-"

"Let me finish, Booth. Sure, it came from your 'heart', as you so put it, but you were still trying to control me. I am my own person, and I won't stand for that."

"I'm sorry. I know that I can't tell you what to do, that I shouldn't tell you what to do. But I just want you to be careful. I don't want to lose you. Not after I just got you."

"I know, and after recent events, I have decided to try to be more considerate of your feelings. Now, about how many times you called me..."

Booth's face flushed with embarrassment at that. "Yeah, sorry. I was worried. I wanted to make sure you were okay. And after the call I got from Cullen-"

"What call?" Brennan interrupted.

"Oh right, you don't know," Booth said. "Another Georgetown girl was reported missing today. Last seen 2 nights ago."

"Booth-" she started to apologize.

"Bones, don't worry about it. You're here now. I know you're safe."

They sat there quiet for a few moments, his hand still holding hers.

"Are we okay, Bones?"

She nodded. "Yeah, we're okay." She smiled a sultry smile at him as she pulled him close, capturing his lips with hers.

"Come on," Booth said in between kisses. "We should get you to bed. It's been a very long day. And Parker wants us to take him to the Jeffersonian tomorrow to see Hodgins." He got up off the couch, pulling Brennan up along with him. They walked hand in hand to his bedroom. One they got inside, he shut the door and began peppering her with kisses once more, pressing her up against the door.

"Booth," Brennan said, more as a moan than as anything else. "What about Parker. He's asleep in the next room."

"We just lock the door, see," he said as he reached behind her and locked the door. And like you said, he's asleep. He'll probably be out til sometime tomorrow morning." He put his hand back onto Brennan's waist.

"What if he wakes up and hears us?"

"We turn on the TV or the radio to drown out the noise," he said as he walked over to the stereo and turned on his favorite station. "He'll never suspect a thing. And it's not like he can just walk in and catch us in the act." He walked back to Brennan, his hands moved to cup her face, brushing her breasts along the way. He pulled her lips to his, effectively ending all conversation. Clothes started piling up on the floor, in a trail that went from the door to the bed. He laid her on the bed, climbed in with her, and kissed every part of her body that he could find. He was still learning exactly what spots drove her crazy. They spent the next few hours in bed, appreciating each other's body.

AN: Let me know what ya thought. It was my longest chapter yet, I hope you enjoyed it. YAY for Thursday! I can't wait for the premiere! It's only a few days away! Next chapter should hopefully be up sometime next weekend, unless I find time to write before then :)


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: So, I'm not gonna say anything about the premiere (just in case someone reading this has yet to see it). No spoilers here, but I just gotta say that I LOVED the scene at the end between Brennan and Caroline. Caroline's expression was priceless! So here's a new chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Oh, even though I doubt that she'd ever read this, but with the cat finally out of the bag I can FINALLY say best wishes to Ms. Emily Deschanel, I mean Mrs. David Hornsby ;)**

**And I feel it's time to have a disclaimer, since I haven't done so already: I do not own Bones or any of its characters.**

CHAPTER 14:

Brennan awoke early the next morning. Booth was sleeping soundly, his arm wrapped protectively around her in an effort to keep her safe from the invisible dangers of the night. She lifted her head and saw the early morning sunshine shining through the window. Brennan loved mornings. She loved waking up early, accomplishing things while the rest of the world sleeps-well, the rest of the world is not_ literally_ sleeping, but according to Angela that's more of a metaphorical saying. Mornings are peaceful, new beginnings. Yesterday's troubles are in the past, a mere whisper in the wind. Or so one would assume. Brennan knew better than to believe that all of the troubles she would ever encounter were in the past, but she was willing-mostly-to accept the idea that the tough times are behind them.

Things were finally going good. She had an amazing job, one where she was able to provide justice for the victims of hideous murders. She had her family, her real family back in her life. Her father had a job teaching children at the Jeffersonian. Her brother lived a few hours away with his girlfriend and her two daughters. She had her metaphorical family at the lab. The family made up of her coworkers, her friends. But most importantly, she had Booth. She was officially in a relationship with him. They were no longer arguing, having solved that problem last night. She thought of the life she was leading, how many times she had come close to losing it all. She thought about the life she could have, now that she was with Booth.

She smiled at that thought, and then kissed Booth on the cheek before untangling herself from him and walking into the bathroom. After showering, she walked out of the bathroom wrapped in her towel in search of some clothes. She noticed that Booth was right where she had left him, only now he was sprawled out, taking up the entire bed. She chuckled to herself as she headed back into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

The moment she walked out of Booth's room, she heard sounds of the TV coming from the living room. She quickly walked down the hallway, pausing when she saw Parker sitting on the couch in front of the TV. She walked over to the couch, taking the seat next to him.

"Morning, Dr. Bones!" Parker said, his eyes lighting up when he saw Brennan sit next to him.

"Good morning, Parker," Brennan replied. "I had a really good time last night, thank you for letting me spend time with you and your dad."

"You don't gotta say thanks, Dr. Bones," Parker started, "I'm glad you and dad are together."

"Well, thank you." She turned her attention to the TV, some early morning weekend cartoon. The two of them sat there quietly for a few minutes. She tried to understand the cartoon while he was deep in thought, not paying attention to the TV. "Is there something wrong, Parker?"

"Mom said that if she and Brent get married, then Brent will be my new dad," Parker said somewhat sadly. "Does that mean she doesn't want me to see my real dad anymore?"

Brennan was quiet, not quite sure how to respond. "What would make you say that?"

"Well, I don't get to see dad much as it is," Parker started. "Mom don't like dad's job. She says that it's not good for me to worry so much about him, and that I need a dad who I don't have to be worried about every time they walk out the door."

"Parker, you do know that your father would never purposely do anything to put himself in danger, right?"

"Yeah. But if I get a new dad, mom won't let me see him anymore," Parker said with tears in his eyes. "If you and dad get married, would you be my new mom? Then maybe I could come live with you guys, instead of mom and Brent."

Brennan was speechless. She truly did not know how to respond to what Parker had said. Tears were still leaking from his eyes, so she took him into her arms. "Parker, honey, no one could ever take the place of your father, of either of your parents. Brent would not be your father. He'd be your stepfather, but he couldn't ever take the place of your dad. And Booth would never let anyone take you away from him. And neither would I for that matter." She chose to ignore Parker's comment about marriage, which lasted all of 3 seconds.

"But could I come live with you and dad when you get married?" he asked when he pulled back from Brennan's embrace.

"Parker, your father and I only just started dating. We don't know if things will work out between us."

"But Dr. Bones, you and dad have been with each other for 6 years," he stated. As a side note he added, "That's more than half my life. Why wouldn't you end up getting married."

"No one knows what the future holds, Parker," she said. "Hey, are you hungry? Would you like to help me make some breakfast for your father?"

He nodded. She stood from the couch, taking Parker's hand and leading him into the kitchen.

"What should we cook for him?" Brennan asked.

"Bacon!" Parker said, speaking more for himself than his father. "And eggs. And pancakes."

"Okay, pancakes, bacon, and eggs it is then," Brennan agreed. "Can you go grab the stuff for the pancakes while I get the bacon and eggs ready?"

He nodded and did as she asked. Soon they were well underway in their efforts to cook a great breakfast for themselves and Booth. They were laughing the entire time as Parker told her jokes that the other kids at school had taught him. He also showed her how to make "Mickey Mouse" pancakes, which she was very intrigued by.

"Hey, Parker, do you think you could go wake your father up? The food's almost ready," Brennan asked him as she was finishing with the eggs.

"Sure thing, Dr. Bones," Parker replied, turning around to see his father standing in the doorway with in finger on his mouth, signaling Parker to be quiet and waving him over to take a seat at the table. Booth crept up behind Bones, wrapping his arms around her and causing her to drop whatever cooking utensil she was holding.

"Booth!" Brennan complained while Parker laughed. "Look at what you made me do."

"You're the one who dropped it, Bones," he replied with a cocky smile. "Not me." He place a kiss to her temple before letting her go and walking to the refrigerator to grab some drinks. He handed them to Parker to set on the table and took out some plates from the cabinet. He placed them at the table and took a seat next to Parker. A few seconds later, Brennan brought over the food and placed them in the center of the table.

"Wow, look at this!" Booth exclaimed. "You made me breakfast, Parker?" Booth laughed at his joke, purposely avoiding looking at Brennan.

Parker laughed. "I helped, but Dr. Bones did most of it."

"Really?" he asked incredulously.

Parker nodded enthusiastically. Booth turned to look at Brennan, whom had an amused smile on her face.

"Look at you, being all domestic. I must've done something right last night," he said with a sparkle in his eye before winking at her.

"Booth!" she chastised, blushing as she turned to look down at her plate.

The three of them ate their breakfast, talking about their plans for the day ahead of them.

oOo

The three of them arrived at the Jeffersonian at around 10 that morning. Brennan was surprised to see just how many people were working on a Saturday. Hodgins was at his desk, staring into a microscope. Wendell and Mr. Nigel-Murray were on the platform working with the bones of both of the murder victims, with Cam supervising. Angela was standing outside of her office deep in conversation with Morgan, whom looked like she had just recently arrived.

As soon as Parker saw Hodgins, he took off in a sprint. "Dr. Hodgins! Dr. Hodgins! Guess what...I got something to show you!"

"Hey, what's up, Booth Jr.?" Hodgins inquired, taking his attention away from his microscope to look at the boy who was now standing anxiously beside him.

"I wanna show you something," Parker replied, handing the box with the spider in it to Hodgins. "This bit someone at school yesterday. After I killed it, the teacher said I could bring it home to show you."

Hodgins opened the box with curiosity. "Woah-ho nice find, man! Lycosidae Hogna Carolinensis-America's largest wolf spider. Very nice find, my man!"

"I knew you'd wanna see it!" Parker exclaimed. He went on to tell Hodgins all about how he came into possession of the spider.

oOo

After Parker took off from them, Booth and Brennan stood in the doorway a few more seconds, both of them proudly watching as Parker ran over to Hodgins. Brennan wanted to tell Booth about her earlier conversation with Parker, but she wasn't quite sure how to approach such a delicate topic.

"Booth?" Brennan asked.

"Yeah, Bones?" he said, pulling her close to him.

Brennan shook her head, "never mind." She leaned up to place a quick kiss on his lips. "I'm going to go speak with Angela and Morgan for a little bit."

"Okay, babe," Booth replied. "I'll head over and check up on the case with Cam. But remember, we're not working today. I have Parker, and we're gonna spend the day with him. Take him to a game. Take him to the park. Eat junk food. Have fun. That's what we're gonna do. No work."

Brennan nodded, and then took off in the direction of Angela and Morgan. Booth walked up to the platform, overhearing his son's enthusiastic tale along the way.

"Got anything new, Cam?" Booth asked.

"No, nothing. Absolutely nothing," Cam's frustrated voice said. "We're getting nowhere on this case."

"Damn," Booth said. "We'll get something soon, I know it."

"Lets up hope it's before anyone else gets hurt," Cam replied solemnly.

"Monday, Bones and I will question the suspects again. We're missing something, and I know it's in plain sight. We just have to find it."

Parker and Hodgins joined them a few minutes later, Parker holding his spider box and looking around curiously. Booth was surprised, and very glad, to see that his son had no interest in the victim's bones that were on the autopsy table.

"Looking for something, buddy?" Booth asked.

"No," Parker looked down, disappointed. "I was just looking to see if Morgan was here."

"I believe she's in Angela's office, talking with her and Dr. Brennan," Vincent said, looking up from the bones.

"You can talk to her when they come back out, Parks," Booth said.

"So, how'd your date go with Morgan last night?" Hodgins asked Vincent.

Wendell and Parker looked equally shocked.

"Wait, you landed a date with Morgan!" Wendell said, somewhat upset that Vincent beat him to the punch.

"Dad?" Parker said, his voice shallow. "I think I wanna go home."

oOo

After Brennan left Booth, she walked over to Angela's office, where she and Morgan were standing in the doorway.

"Oh, hey there, sweetie," Angela said, giving her best friend a hug. "How'd things go with Agent Studly last night?"

"Things went very well," Brennan said, smiling. "We talked things through. I think we're standing on very hard floor right now."

"Solid ground, Dr. Brennan," Morgan stated. "I think you mean you're standing on solid ground."

"Yes, I believe that's what I just said," Brennan replied. "How'd things go for you last night, Morgan?"

Morgan smiled and blushed. "Very good as well. He said he'd like to take me on a second date sometime. We're supposed to talk about it sometime today." She went on to tell Angela and Brennan the details of her night.

"So, I have something I need advice on," Brennan said once Morgan finished her story.

"Okay, what is it?" Angela asked.

"Parker told me something this morning, before Booth woke up," Brennan began. "He thinks that if Rebecca gets married, she won't let him see Booth anymore because Brent would be his new dad. He then asked if he could move in with Booth and me, if we got married."

"Okay, what did you tell him?" Angela asked.

"I said that no one could ever take his father's place," Brennan began to explain. "But he still thinks that Rebecca is going to stop letting him see Booth. Should I tell Booth about what Parker thinks?"

"That poor boy," Morgan said.

"Sweetie," Angela said. "I really do think that you need to tell him these things. You handled the situation well, but Booth still needs to know."

oOo

A loud noise broke everyone from their conversations. They saw a tall, dark haired man entering the lab. He was dangerously skinny and looked a little rough for the wear. The skin on his face was dry and flaky, with sores everywhere, and he had blackened and missing teeth.

"Well, well, well," he said, looking around as he walked directly towards Brennan, Angela, and Morgan. "No one told me you worked in such a fancy place, baby cakes."

**AN: Once again, let me know what ya think about his chapter. Or the season premiere, for that matter :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: I really would like to tell ya that I LOVE all of you so much for supporting me with this story. I know I wouldn't have pursued it this far without your support. So, thank you so much for all the reviews, alerts, and just for reading this story. I promise there's much more to come :) Oh, and if you're into that kinda thing follow me on twitter. I don't put much on there, but what the heck. Replace the parentheses and go to www(dot)twitter(dot)com/JacqLynch**

CHAPTER 15:

_A loud noise broke everyone from their conversations. They saw a tall, dark haired man entering the lab. He was dangerously skinny and looked a little rough for the wear. The skin on his face was dry and flaky, with sores everywhere, and he had blackened and missing teeth._

_"Well, well, well," he said, looking around as he walked directly towards Brennan, Angela, and Morgan. "No one told me you worked in such a fancy place, baby cakes."_

Brennan stepped forward, looking intently at the man. She had never seen him before, and quite frankly she wasn't sure how he'd managed to slip past security to enter the building. The man kept walking towards them. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear Booth telling Cam and Hodgins to take care of Parker.

"May I help you, sir?" Brennan asked. The man ignored her, shoving past her in a hurry. "Hey! Excuse me, I asked you a question," she said loudly to the man. Booth joined Brennan, following the man as he walked towards Angela and Morgan.

"Baby cakes, how come you don't wanna talk to me no more? Seems like a horrible way to treat your family, your own flesh and blood," the man said. "I took you in, put a roof over your head. And now ya act like ya don't even know me! Let me tell ya, you were damned lucky to have a man like me in your life. I took care of you, showed you the _ways_ of the world."

Morgan took a few steps forward, leaving Angela behind. She had tears in her eyes as she confronted her worst nightmare. And it just had to happen at work, in public, and in front of her friends and coworkers-of all places.

"You need to leave," she said, flinching as he took a step closer to her and tried to touch her face.

"No way, baby cakes," he replied. "Not 'til I can get a little _alone_ time with you." He grabbed her by the arm and began pulling her away.

"Hey! Let go of me," she yelled as she pulled herself free from his weak grasp. She saw Booth and Brennan approaching them out of the corner of her eye. Booth came up behind the man and grabbed his arm. The man turned around, attempting to punch Booth. Booth easily evaded it, punching the man in return. The man fell to the ground, his nose bleeding. Most everybody in the lab had stayed still, in shock at what was occurring. Vincent and Cam had come down the stairs and were walking over towards them with Parker following behind. Brennan was standing next to Morgan, there to protect her in case the man got up and went after her again.

The man slowly got up off the floor. "Now, what'dya go and do that for?" he asked as he tried to stop the blood from flowing from his nose.

"KENNETH!" Cam yelled. "You should leave. Now!"

"Camille?" he replied in a questioning tone. "You're still taking care of my girl, huh?"

"Somebody has to," Cam replied coldly. "I want you out of my lab now. And don't ever even think about stepping foot back in here again."

Booth grabbed Kenneth's arm once again, this time leading him towards the entrance. He quietly said to the man, "I may not know who you are, or what you did to Morgan, but if you ever try to come near her again, I won't hesitate to kill you. And I promise, it'll be a long, slow, and painful death."

Booth dragged the man out of the doors of the Jeffersonian and threw him down on to the sidewalk. When he came back inside, he saw nearly everyone who worked at the Jeffersonian-some who didn't even work in the Medico-Legal lab-huddled around Morgan, asking her questions that she wasn't willing to answer. The only one who wasn't asking questions was Brennan. Instead, she had her arm around Morgan's shoulders, trying to lead her away from the crowd of people.

"Ange!" Booth yelled over the crowd of voices. "Take Parker, keep him occupied."

"Got it, Booth!" she replied, then grabbed Parker by the hand and led him into her office.

"Bones?" Booth asked, nodding his head toward her office.

She nodded and said, "I would like everyone to go back to work."

"Cam." Booth said, implying that he wanted her to regain control over her employees.

"Everyone back to work. Now! Nothing to see here," Cam said. Everyone dispersed back to their stations, leaving Booth, Brennan, Cam, Morgan, and Vincent standing there.

"Mr. Nigel-Murray," Brennan started. "Could you please go back to the platform to continue working with Mr. Bray on the victims' remains."

Vincent nodded, though he really didn't want to leave Morgan's side.

"I'll be okay, Vincent," Morgan said with a small smile. "I'll talk to ya later."

Brennan led Morgan into her office, Booth and Cam following behind. Booth paused in the doorway, turning to Cam.

"Cam, you should probably leave this to us," Booth said.

"This is my lab, Seeley," Cam protested. "And she's like a daughter to me. I should be in there when you talk to her."

"If you're in there, I don't think she'd be willing to talk to us," Booth replied honestly. "She'd be afraid of your reaction. She's obviously been hiding something from you for this long. I don't think she'd open to us up if you're in there."

"Seeley-"

"She'll be fine, Camille," Booth said. "Bones and I'll take care of her. Don't worry."

"I know you will," Cam nodded. Booth walked into Brennan's office, shutting the door behind him. Cam stood outside a few minutes longer before walking back up to the platform, figuring she might as well busy herself with work while waiting for them to come out of Brennan's office.

Brennan and Morgan had taken a seat on the couch. Neither one of them were talking. Morgan sat as far away from Brennan as she could, trying to avoid eye contact. She was trying to hold back tears while attempting to figure out a way to avoid having this conversation. Brennan, on the other hand, was looking knowingly at Morgan while having an internal debate on what would be the best thing to say. When Brennan saw Booth enter the room, she gave him a pleading look in hopes that he would know the best way to begin this conversation.

Booth walked over to the front of Brennan's desk and leaned against it. He looked at the floor, gathering his thoughts. A few moments later, he looked up and began talking. "You don't have to tell us any details, but you understand we need answers?"

Morgan nodded her head, wiping the tears that were leaking from her eyes while continuing to avoid eye contact.

"Who was that man?" Booth asked. Morgan shook her head, so Booth continued. "Obviously he is someone from your past. Someone who hurt you in some way."

Morgan flinched at the word hurt. Yeah, he had hurt her. In more ways than one.

"Morgan, we're not going to get anywhere if you don't give us some answers," Booth said. "Who is he?"

Morgan finally turned to look at Booth. "My uncle. Kenneth Kaiser."

"Okay," Booth said. "Why did he come here today looking for you?"

Morgan took a deep breath before she answered. "He just got out of prison. I haven't talked to him in, like, 5 years. He got sent to prison when I was 17. Guess he just wanted to talk to me."

"But you don't want to talk to him?" Booth concluded. When Morgan didn't answer, he received his confirmation. "What did he go to prison for?"

"Drugs," Brennan said, speaking up for the first time since entering her office. Morgan nodded at Brennan's answer. "Methamphetamines. Heroin. And I would surmise cocaine as well."

"How'd you know that, Bones?" Booth inquired.

"Well, methamphetamines because of his severely wasted physique. That, in combination with the considerate amount of dried skin and sores on his face, and what in the vernacular is called 'meth mouth'-that is blackened and missing teeth, and the fact that his mouth and jaw appear to be sunken in, one can only conclude that he is addicted to methamphetamines."

"And the heroin and cocaine?" Booth asked.

"I noticed needle marks on his arm. He was also twitching and had contracted pupils. These are sure signs of a heroin addiction," Brennan said. "I also noticed crusting around his nose. He was sniffling a great amount as well. That usually points to someone who has the habit of snorting cocaine, though I cannot conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that he does indeed have a cocaine addiction."

"He does," Morgan said grimly. "All of it. He probably does more too. Whatever he can get his hands on. Has done it ever since I was 11. I don't know what happened to make him start."

"That couldn't have made your home life very good," Booth said. He was silent for a few minutes before continuing with the thought that has been at the forefront of his mind since the beginning. "What did he mean when he said that he showed you the _ways_ of the world. And that he wanted a little _alone_ time with you?" Booth had an idea based on the way Morgan flinched when her uncle tried to touch her face, but he needed to have his suspicions confirmed.

"Booth!" Brennan scolded, literally jumping in on Morgan's behalf. She had gotten up of the couch and took a step towards Booth. "You can't just go around asking people questions like that. And insinuating things when you have no evidence."

"Insinuating things? _Insinuating_ things?" Booth yelled, momentarily forgetting Morgan's presence in the room.

"Yes," Brennan replied. "You're jumping to conclusions based on a few ambiguous statements."

"They weren't_ ambiguous_ statements, Bones," Booth said. "He practically admitted to the entire lab what he did to her!"

"And what, exactly, do you think he did to her?" Brennan inquired.

"He...he..._abused_ her. In more ways than one," Booth said.

Morgan let a sob escape from her throat. She wrapped her arms around her knees and tucked her head into the crook of her elbow. Brennan sat back down and wrapped her arms around Morgan.

"Booth, I think you should leave," Brennan said as Morgan quivered in her arms. "Maybe I should talk to her alone, while you calm down."

Booth knew Brennan was right, but he didn't want to leave. However, the look she shot him when he started to protest told him that she was being very serious. He walked out of her office and into the lab.

"Morgan...hey...sweetie," Brennan said, testing Angela's trademark term of endearment. "You need to talk to me. I understand that you don't want to, but you need to. And we don't have to discuss what Booth said. All I need to know is that you're alright. That he's not going to come back and hurt you when we're not around to help make sure you're safe."

Morgan cried for a few more minutes, before regaining her composure enough to form a complete sentence. She freed herself from Brennan's arms and said, "Everything I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this room. You don't tell Booth. You don't tell Cam. Sweets. Angela. You tell no one."

Brennan nodded her head in understanding.

"What Booth said was true, Dr. Brennan," Morgan started, letting a sob escape once again. "When I was 11, the drugs started. The abuse came shortly after. It started out as mental and emotional abuse. Name calling. Disparaging remarks. Humiliation. Neglect. Locking me in a closet or the attic for days at a time. Then it moved to physical abuse. Punching. Kicking. Choking. Cutting. It was only a short leap to the, um, sexual abuse."

Brennan looked at her with tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "Morgan, nobody should have to go through what you did. Nobody." She took Morgan into her arms once again, hugging her. "So, what happened that put you in foster care? I saw the names written in your book. Did somebody find out and call the authorities?"

Morgan shook her head. "When I was 13, he went to jail for the first time on drug possession charges. He got out 2 years later and I was placed back in his care, which was better than some of the foster families I was placed in."

Brennan looked at her in understanding, although she was confused as to how the foster families could have been much worse than what she went through with her uncle.

"I stayed with him for 2 years, before the abuse got so bad I couldn't live with it anymore," Morgan stated. "I emancipated myself from his care when I was 17. It became official the day he was arrested for the second time."

"I can't even imagine what you have been through," Brennan stated. Remembering back to what Booth had told her in the past about offering up a piece of yourself, Brennan decided to share a story with Morgan. "It has become common knowledge that I spent time in the foster system as well. It's not an easy thing to cope with. You're thrown into a brand new environment. Everything is different, not how you want them to be. They never are."

Morgan nodded in understanding, so Brennan continued.

"In one of my foster homes, I broke a plate and my foster father locked me into the trunk of a car for a few days."

Morgan looked up at Brennan. "I'm sorry that happened to you. Knowing you, you probably put up a huge fight, huh?"

"No, not really," Brennan admitted. "I was just a child. I was weak, scared. I didn't really know any better. And in a few of my foster homes, I was sexually assaulted as well as physically abused."

"You didn't fight back?" Morgan questioned, surprised that such a strong woman wouldn't defend herself.

Brennan shook her head. "I tried, but I wasn't strong enough. I didn't know how to fight. I wasn't trained yet. And my struggles only enticed them further."

"So, when you got out of the foster system, you took self-defense and karate lessons to make sure that no one could ever hurt you like that again," Morgan surmised.

Brennan nodded her head in agreement. "We all do things to cope, in our own way. I chose to take control of my life. Become trained in martial arts and build up walls to keep everyone at a distance."

"And I chose art," Morgan stated.

"Yes," Brennan agreed. "You chose to embrace your emotions, rather than reject them. You are a much stronger person than I am."

"I don't know about that, Dr. Brennan," Morgan said. "I feel very weak. And vulnerable."

"Nope," Brennan said, a smile starting to form at the corner of her lips. "You're strong. To live life, never letting anybody know about your past, and not letting it affect your daily life. Very strong indeed."

Morgan nodded. "Thanks, Dr. Brennan. I needed this. To talk. To have someone tell me that I handled everything okay, that I'm gonna be okay."

"Do you think he'll try meeting up with you again?" Brennan asked.

"I don't know," Morgan replied honestly. "I'll just have to try my best to make sure I'm ready for if that time comes."

"Okay," Brennan said. "If he does show up again. Call someone. Me. Booth. Anyone who will be able to get to you quickly."

Morgan nodded her head.

oOo

Brennan rejoined Booth and Parker in the lab about 20 minutes later. She left Morgan in her office, letting her take as much time as she needed to recollect herself from the emotionally draining morning that she'd had.

"Dr. Bones!" Parker exclaimed when he saw Brennan exit her office. "How is she? Can I see her?"

"I think she wants some time to herself," Brennan honestly replied.

"But I wanna make sure she's okay," Parker said. "Can I please go see her?"

"Parker," Booth warned. "Not now."

"Fine," Parker said, pouting. "But if I can't see her, then neither can that English dude."

"Sure thing, kiddo," Booth said, feeling bad about how much his son was hurting about Morgan's relationship with the Brit. "How about we head over to the park before getting lunch?"

Receiving a couple of nods as an answer, Booth led Parker and Brennan out to his SUV. They got to the park about 15 minutes later. When they got there, Parker met up with some friends to play soccer. Booth and Brennan decided to take a walk around the pond.

"Are we okay, Booth?" Brennan inquired. She had been worried about how Booth felt since she kicked him out of her office.

"We're fine, Bones," Booth answered, tension evident in both his voice and his posture.

"You're lying to me, Booth!"

"I don't want to get into this. Not here," Booth stated.

"What did I do wrong?"

Booth shook his head.

"Yes, I did do something wrong. Tell me what it was so I don't make the same mistake, Booth."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Bones," Booth replied. "It's me, I did everything wrong."

"What! What are you talking about?"

"I handled the situation badly," Booth said. "I overreacted. I knew what that _man_ had done to her, and my anger took control."

"Booth-"

"No, I had told Cam that she shouldn't go into your office with us to talk to Morgan because Morgan might not open up to us. That she'd be afraid of Cam's reaction," Booth said. "I did exactly what I told Cam that we didn't want her to do."

"Booth-"

"No, Bones. I blew it. She's never gonna trust me again. You'll never trust me again."

"Why wouldn't I trust you?" Brennan asked. "I trust you with my life, completely."

"Yeah, but seeing me react like that? You're never going to want to tell me when something is bothering you ever again. You're gonna be afraid that I'll overreact."

"Quit being ridiculous, Booth," Brennan said. "You overreacting, that just shows how open your so called 'heart' is. You've accepted this girl into our family. The family of friends that we have formed. You saw someone threaten her. You saw her hurt, her pain. You wanted to provide justice for her. You've got such a good heart, Booth. It's one of the reasons that I love you."

Hearing Brennan say that she loved him made Booth's mood immediately elevate. He'd heard her say it before, but he knew that it would be a rare occurrence for her to say it again. All the anger he had been feeling disappeared. Love took its place.

The rest of the day went by fairly uneventfully. When the three of them were done with the park, they ate lunch at the diner, before going to a baseball game in the evening, where they filled up with peanuts, hotdogs, and other junk food. By the time they got to Booth's place that night, all three of them were exhausted. Parker had passed out in the car. He wouldn't wake up when Booth tried to wake him, so Booth ended up having to carry Parker up to his room. Brennan waited in the doorway.

"You know, you're allowed to come all the way inside," Booth joked.

"I know," Brennan stated. "But I should probably be going home. It's getting late and I'm pretty tired."

"Why don't you stay the night again?" Booth asked, stepping close to Brennan and placing kisses on her neck. She moaned when he reached that spot just below her ear that he loved so much.

"As tempting as that is," Brennan started, letting another moan escape from her lips, "I have to work on my novel again tomorrow. And you need to spend some one-on-one time with your son."

"He loves having you around, Bones."

"I know," she said without modesty. "You have said that many times. He has made that clear as well."

"Then what's the problem?" Booth asked as he stopped his trail of kisses.

"I'll tell you about it later. It's getting late. And I really do need tomorrow to work on my novel."

"Okay," Booth said. He placed a kiss on her lips, intending for it to only be a quick kiss goodnight. When he started to pull away, she pulled him in deeper. He backed her up against the door, letting their make-out session last much longer than either one of them intended.

**AN: So, what did ya think! Let me know :) I'll try to have another update this weekend, but no promises. Again, thank you so much for reading!**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Here's a nice long chapter for you! 15 pages long! Possibly one of the longest chapters I've written. Not much B&B fluff, but plenty of case related stuff as they question the suspects. I've been in a creative mood lately, writing like crazy. So hopefully it'll last and I can post another chapter before the weekend.**

CHAPTER 16:

On Monday, Booth and Brennan went to interrogate their suspects once again. They arrived at Georgetown at about 10 am, giving them roughly an hour before Edward Jarvais was supposed to teach his first class of the day. Booth and Brennan quickly made their way to the center of campus to the Intercultural Center, the building that is home to the faculty offices for the Comparative Literature department.

When they got to the correct part of the building, which happened to be on the 4th floor, Booth showed his FBI badge to the secretary, asking to see Professor Edward Jarvais. The secretary was obviously in a bad mood, giving Booth a hostile look before answering.

"Jeez, what was _her_ problem?" Booth whispered to Brennan as they made their way over to Edward's office.

Brennan simply rolled her eyes at Booth before knocking on Edward's office door. They waited patiently for the door to open.

"Agent Booth. Dr. Brennan," Edward Jarvais said as he pulled open his door. "Come in. Come in. Why don't you take a seat." Booth and Brennan complied with his request. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Dr. Brennan?"

Booth coughed at the professor's not so subtle attempt to flirt with Brennan before answering the question. "We're here to ask you some more questions about the disappearance and murder of some of your students."

"Mmm, I'm not sure how much help I can be on that," Edward answered. "I believe that I have already informed you of everything I know about those students."

"Yes, you've been very cooperative," Booth replied. "But what I'd like to know is why both of the murdered students, as well as one who just recently was reported missing, have a connection to you."

"Annabelle Ames, a grad student in the English department also happened to be a TA for a few of your undergrad classes," Brennan began to explain. "Josslyn Davis, an undergrad majoring in Comparative Literature. The department in which you teach, Professor Jarvais."

"And Mikayla Cooper," Booth finished. "A 23 year old Linguistics grad student. Reported missing 3 days ago. It is my understanding that the Comparative Literature department is a branch of the Linguistics department here at Georgetown?"

"Yes. Yes it is, Agent Booth," Edward replied quietly, realizing just how suspicious he must look because of his connections to each of the victims. "Both the Comparative Lit department and the Linguistics department share many of the same professors."

"Including you, Professor?" Booth asked.

"Yes, including me."

"So, would you like to tell me why it is that you can be tied to both of the murdered students, as well as the one who is currently missing?" Booth inquired.

"It's a large university, Agent Booth," Edward answered. "I'm quite positive that I'm not the only person at the university who can be linked to all of the victims."

"That's right," Booth replied. "But you understand why we have to ask these questions."

"Yes. I do."

"Could you describe the extent of your relationships which each of the victims?" Brennan questioned.

Edward smiled at Brennan before answering. "I'm faithful to my wife, Dr. Brennan."

"I don't recall asking otherwise," Brennan replied.

"You implied it," Edward said. "Sure, I may enjoy harmlessly flirting with other women, but as I said, it's harmless. I would never do anything to jeopardize my relationship with my wife."

"So, Annabelle was just your TA. Josslyn and Mikayla were just your students," Booth said. "You didn't know them on a more personal level?"

"I knew them well enough," Edward said quite vaguely. "I knew them enough to know that they were very nice girls. Ambitious. Intelligent. Independent. They were going places in this world. They didn't deserve to be hurt the way they were."

"Do you know of anybody who may have wanted to harm them? Any of them?" Brennan asked.

"No, no one."

"Thank you for your time, Professor Jarvais," Booth said. "We should let you get ready for your lecture."

"Anytime, Agent Booth," Edward replied. "If you need anything else, please feel free to come back."

"We will," Booth replied. "And stick around town."

"Of course," Edward said. "It was a pleasure seeing you again, Dr. Brennan."

"Yes, I'm sure it was," Brennan replied before getting up and walking to the door with Booth.

oOo

Booth and Brennan walked to the southeast end of campus to the Walsh building, home of the Art Department. They had decided to question Edward Jarvais's wife, Donna. Perhaps jealously over her husband's attention to his female students could have caused her to crack and murder the girls. Or, at least she could corroborate her husband's alibis. When they reached the faculty offices, they were told to wait while Professor Donna Jarvais finished up with a meeting with one of her students.

10 minutes later, Donna's office door opened. The student who walked out of the office, the one whom Donna had a meeting with, surprised both Booth and Brennan.

"Morgan!" Booth and Brennan said in unison.

"Oh, shit!" Morgan said, startled. "Hey Agent Hot Stuff. Hey Dr. Brennan. What's happenin'?"

"Morgan, what are you doing here?" Booth asked.

"I go to school here?" Morgan said, questioning why Booth would ask a question to which he already clearly knew the answer.

"What Booth means," Brennan interjected, "is what are you doing here. In this office."

"I'm an art history major, along with the philosophy major," Morgan supplied. "I had a meeting with my advisor."

"Professor Jarvais is your advisor?" Booth asked, shocked.

"Yeah, has been for 3 years now," Morgan stated. "Listen, it was fun seeing ya and all, but I have to get going. I have one more class before I have to head over for my shift at the Jeffersonian."

"Yeah, sure," Booth said.

"We understand," Brennan said. "We'll see you later?"

"Yeah, definitely!" Morgan exclaimed before running out of the office in a hurry.

"Wow, ain't that a coinkydink," Booth said to Brennan.

"Agent Booth? Dr. Brennan?" the secretary asked. "Professor Jarvais is ready for you now."

"Thank you," Brennan said as she stood up and walked over to the office with Booth, his hand at the small of her back.

"Hello," Donna Jarvais said, warmly welcoming Booth and Brennan into her office. "How may I help you, Agent Booth?"

"We'd like to ask you a few questions about the murders of the missing Georgetown students," Booth stated.

"Okay," Donna replied, nodding her head. "Anything I can do to help. It's a tragedy, what happened. Let's have at it."

"Now, we realize that you didn't really have any connection to those students," Booth began.

"But while you do not have a direct link to the victims," Brennan interrupted, "your husband, however, does."

Donna nodded. "Yes, that is unfortunate. But you can't possibly be implying that my husband had anything to do with this!"

"Would you mind telling us where he was when each of the disappearances occurred?" Booth asked.

"I can't recall where he was on the night that Ms. Ames, poor Annabelle, disappeared. After all, that was 7 months ago," Donna said. "But that doesn't mean he doesn't have an alibi, mind you. 7 months is a long time. Tell me, do you know where you were 7 months ago?"

"What about the night Josslyn Davis was kidnapped?" Booth inquired, choosing to ignore Donna's question.

"Let me see, that was about 2 weeks ago, correct? On a Friday night?" Donna asked, but continued before receiving an answer. "He went out for drinks with his brother, Phil."

"And the night Mikayla Cooper disappeared?" Brennan asked.

"Well, that was only last Friday," Donna replied. "Once again, he was with his brother. They go out for drinks every Friday night."

"And where were you, Professor Jarvais?"

"Again, I can't recall where I was when Annabelle disappeared," Donna answered. "But as for the other two, I was on campus. I run Friday night studio open hours from 6-11. Afterwords, I went to the theatre, where I've been helping the theatre department prepare their sets for the musical they are going to be performing shortly."

"Okay," Booth said. "Were you aware of your husband's infidelity?"

"My husband has _never_ been unfaithful to me," Donna replied, outraged at the insinuation by the agent.

"We don't believe that to be true," Brennan stated. "We have been told by several sources that your husband has had many trysts with his female students."

"No, it isn't true," Donna said through gritted teeth. "He wouldn't do that. Yes, he's charming. Yes, he likes to flirt, but he would never betray me."

"Were you aware that there are witnesses who can confirm the fact that your husband was one of the last people to see Annabelle Ames alive?" Brennan asked. "He was conversing with her, rather intimately, in the corner of a room during an awards ceremony."

"I would appreciate it if the two of you would leave," Donna said. "I believe I have been more than accommodating in answering your questions."

"Yes, sure," Booth answered, knowing that he got the answers he was looking for.

"Booth!" Brennan began to object.

"No, Bones," Booth said. "She's right. She has answered all of the questions that I had planned on asking her. We have other people we need to question." Booth threw her one of his charm smiles.

"I suppose you are correct," Brennan conceded, before addressing the professor. "Thank you for being so accommodating, Professor Jarvais."

oOo

Next on their list of suspects to question was Coach Richards. So, Booth and Brennan made their way over to the athletics facilities back at the main part of campus. Lucky for them, Coach Richards had the baseball team spending today's practice time in Yates Field House doing strength training exercises, instead of holding a normal practice in their off-campus baseball field.

Upon reaching the large athletic training facility, Booth and Brennan were directed to the correct area of the building, the area where Coach Richards was overseeing his team's strength training session.

"Agent Booth," Richards greeted them. "You've seriously come here again to ask about the baseball bats? I already told you, there's no way anyone could have stolen one. They are all accounted for, and they're locked up in storage."

"Booth," Brennan whispered. "We know that one of those bats is the murder weapon. He's either lying, or the murderer has to have access to the storage facility, where he could take a bat, use it as the murder weapon, and then put it back without anyone knowing."

"Yeah, Bones," Booth whispered back. "I got it."

"I'm not here about the bats," Booth told Richards. "I'm actually here to ask you about your connections to the victims."

"I'm here for the bats, though," Brennan piped in. "I am wondering if you would let me have access to them to test for traces of blood."

Richards looked at her suspiciously for a second. "Howards! Get over here."

"Yeah, coach?" Tristian Howards said as he ran over to Richards.

"Please take Ms. Brennan-"

"Dr. Brennan," Brennan interjected.

"Please take _Doctor_ Brennan here to the athletic storage facilities while I talk with Agent Booth," Richards said.

Brennan looked at Booth and noticed that Booth seemed very uncomfortable with that suggestion, judging by the tick present in his tensed up jaw. "I'd prefer it if Dr. Brennan doesn't leave my sight."

"Booth, I'll be fine," Brennan said.

"Bones. No," Booth replied. "This is not up for discussion."

"Booth," Brennan warned. "What did we talk about? You have to trust me. Trust that I can take care of myself."

"Bones," Booth pleaded.

"I'll be fine, Booth," she replied. "It'll only take a few minutes for me to test the bats. And if you get done before me, you can meet us down there."

"Fine," Booth surrendered. "Don't go anywhere, Howards. I've got questions for you too."

"Yes sir," Tristian said before leading Brennan out of the weight room and towards the storage facility.

"Okay, Richards," Booth said, irritated and in a hurry. "Start talking. What do you know about Annabelle Ames?"

"Not much," Richards said. "Although I will admit that I knew her better than Josslyn Davis. Annabelle used to date Tristian. They dated for a few years, started back when he was a hot shot baseball star here as an undergrad. Now he just helps me out with the team once in a while."

"And Annabelle?"

"Like I said, I don't know much," Richards replied. "Tristian and her dated for a few years. She was a really sweet kid. Had a bright future. The two of them were completely in love. Then things got tough between them and they ended their relationship."

"Do you know who broke it off?"

"Nah, he never said," Richards stated. "Some things have to remain private, you know. But he was devastated when she went missing, poor boy wouldn't leave his house for days at a time. That lasted for months. He got really depressed."

"Josslyn Davis," Booth said. "What do you know about her?"

"Nothing, other than that she was a student here and went missing a few weeks ago. Body turned up shortly thereafter."

"You had no contact with her whatsoever?"

"None," Richards replied.

"And Mikayla Cooper?"

"Same. Never knew the gal," Richards said. "But we don't even know that she's dead. Just that she's missing. She could've just ran off. Couldn't take the pressure of college anymore, so she made herself scarce."

"Yeah," Booth scoffed.

"Hey, we can hope, right?" Richards said. "Nobody wants to see the Georgetown female population dwindle down. Any more questions?"

"Nope." Booth said. "That's it for now. Now, how do I get down to the storage facilities?"

oOo

Brennan followed Tristian Howards out of the weight room and to the sports storage facility. He unlocked and opened the door, revealing a large room that is used to store the equipment used in each of Georgetown's athletic departments.

"Here we are, Dr. Brennan," Tristian said, leading Brennan into the cluttered, windowless room. "The baseball bats are right over there."

"Thank you," Brennan replied. Brennan began to test each individual baseball bat. Both were quiet. Brennan was concentrating on the testing, but she could feel Tristian's eyes on her back, making her feel extremely uncomfortable. She turned around, seeing the intense look in Tristian's eyes. She let out a nervous giggle before asking, "What?"

Tristian shook his head, effectively bringing him out of his reverie. "Nothing, you're just really beautiful."

"Um...thank you," Brennan said, shifting uncomfortably as she turned to continue testing the baseball bats.

"I'm sorry if I made things awkward," Tristian said. "It's just that you remind me of her, you know?"

"Of who?"

"Annabelle. You look a lot like her," Tristian continued with his explanation. "It's uncanny."

Things were silent for a few long moments before Tristian said, "Are you any closer to finding out who hurt her?"

"I can't discuss the details of the case," Brennan stated as she finished the examination of the baseball bats, coming up with nothing. "Are these all of the baseball bats?"

"Yes, I believe so," Tristian replied after counting them in his head.

"Is there a system employed by the university that is used to clean the sports equipment?"

"Yeah, about once every couple of weeks, a cleaning crew comes in here and goes to town on the equipment," Tristian replied.

"I don't know what that means," Brennan replied.

"Well, at this school, the athletes literally put their blood, sweat, and tears into the game," Tristian explained. "The equipment can get kinda raunchy, so every so often we have them cleaned. You know, wash them. Sanitize them."

"Do you know what chemicals are used in the cleaning process?" Brennan inquired.

"Water. Some kind of detergent. Bleach."

"Damn it," Brennan cursed.

"Bones, what's wrong!" Booth asked, running into the room after hearing Brennan swear.

"Booth!" Brennan said, somewhat happy that she was no longer alone with Tristian. "Nothing is wrong, per say. It's just that I couldn't find any traces of blood on any of the bats."

"None?" Booth asked, shocked.

"Nope," Brennan replied. "Tristian tells me that every few weeks, the sports equipment are cleaned with bleach. That'll get rid of any traces of blood."

"When was the last time the bats were cleaned?" Booth directed his question towards Tristian.

"I don't know, man," Tristian replied. "Not my area of expertise. All I know is that it happens. Not when it happens."

"I'd like to ask you a few questions about Annabelle, if you don't mind," Booth said, switching topics.

"Of course," Tristian complied. "Anything I can do to help catch the bastard who hurt her."

"Okay," Booth said. "You and Annabelle were in a relationship, were you not."

"We were, but we broke up a few months before she was taken," Tristian replied.

"And who broke up with who?" Booth asked.

"She broke it off with me."

"That must've made you extremely upset," Brennan stated. "You put years of your life into a relationship, only to have her change her mind about the way she felt about you."

"Yeah, I was upset. Downright pissed," Tristian admitted. "Any normal person would be. But I got through it. She meant more to me than anything. All I wanted was for her to be happy. And if giving up on us made her happy, then I accepted that."

"You mind explaining to us what was going on around the time of her disappearance?" Booth asked.

"Yeah, sure," Tristian answered. "We were on track to becoming friends again. You know, someone who's that important in your life, it's difficult to live without them. I was working the night she disappeared. The campus radio show. When I found out she was gone, I lost it. Holed myself up in my house. I couldn't bring myself to leave, knowing what could possibly be happening to her. Imagining all the horrible situations she could be in." Tristian's eyes filled with tears.

"Okay," Booth said. "What can you tell us about Josslyn Davis?"

"Not much," Tristian admitted. "All I know is that she went missing a few weeks ago, and that her body was found in the park."

"You have no connection to her at all?" Booth asked.

"Not that I'm aware of," Tristian said. "But this is a big university. It's possible I've seen her before. I just don't remember it."

"You're a TA, correct?" Brennan asked.

"Yeah."

"Is it possible that she could have been in one of the classes for which you are a TA?" Brennan inquired. "She was a freshman, after all. Despite the fact that you don't share the same academic discipline, she could have taken an intro class in your field for her general education requirements."

"It's possible," Tristian conceded. "Her name isn't familiar, but there are hundreds of student enrolled in each intro class. And philosophy is a pretty popular field, so we often have several sections of each intro class."

"And what about Mikayla Cooper?" Booth asked.

"Mikayla's dead!"

"Missing. We haven't found a body," Brennan stated. "But you obviously have some connection to her."

"Yeah," Tristian said. "She's a grad student, like me. I met her at a grad student mixer a few months ago. She's majoring in Linguistics. I can't believe she's missing!"

"You were unaware of that fact?" Brennan asked.

"It seems like common knowledge here at Georgetown that yet another student has disappeared," Booth said.

"I knew someone went missing," Tristian stated. "But I didn't know who."

"Where were you the past few days, Mr. Howards?" Booth asked.

"I host my radio show on Wednesday and Friday nights," Tristian said. "Um...This weekend I had taken a trip out of town to go camping with a buddy from back home."

Booth nodded his head, taking notes on what was said.

"Do you have any other questions?" Tristian asked. "I'm sorry, but I have an appointment."

"Oh, of course," Booth said. "I think we're about done here, right Bones?"

She nodded her head and walked out of the storage room with Booth and Tristian following behind.

oOo

Booth and Brennan were left with one suspect remaining at the university that they had yet to question. The one suspect Brennan, admittedly, was not looking forward to questioning. She had yet to tell Booth about her little run-in with Tyrell Jones on Friday evening.

Booth had called Tyrell, and they had decided to meet up at one of the dining halls on campus-a place called the Leo O'Donovon Hall. It was a very beautiful building located at the south end of campus, overlooking the Potomac river. Booth and Brennan walked into the 2 story dining hall, choosing to stay on the main level. They spotted Tyrell sitting in the middle of the dining hall, surrounded by members of the basketball team.

"Tyrell," Booth said when they approached the table. "Got a few minutes to answer some questions?"

"Yeah," Tyrell answered, standing up from his place at the table. "Boys, I'll see ya at practice later." He followed Booth and Brennan to an empty table at the corner of the dining hall.

"Take a seat," Booth said to Tyrell. Brennan and Booth took a seat across from him. "We'd like to ask you a few follow up questions."

"Yeah, I figured," Tyrell answered. "You don't still think I killed them, do ya? 'Cause I would've thought that after Friday night, Morgan would've convinced you otherwise."

"Friday night?" Booth asked, turning toward Brennan. "What happened Friday night, Bones?"

"It's not important," Brennan stated, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

"Bones-"

"Nothing happened. There was just a little misunderstanding," Brennan admitted.

"Yeah, I'd say that," Tyrell agreed. "Your girl here came running down the hall and flipped me to the ground, hard. The gal she was with beat the crap outta me with her purse, too." Booth glared at Brennan for neglecting to tell him about her run-in with one of their suspects.

"Care to explain exactly what happened, Bones?"

"Morgan wasn't where she said she'd meet us," Brennan answered, avoiding eye contact with Booth. "The power went out, and Angela started to panic. We heard a scream from down the hall and saw Tyrell and Morgan. We misread the situation, that's all."

"Bones!" Booth yelled in exasperation.

"Look, it was just a misunderstanding," Brennan defended herself. "I already apologized to both Tyrell and Morgan. Now can we get back on point?"

"Yes," Booth replied. "But we are going to continue talking about his later."

"Did you have a sexual relationship with Annabelle Ames?" Brennan asked, jumping right into her line of questioning.

"What!" Tyrell asked. "Hell no. She was my tutor, that's it. I'm not so good at English. She helped me pass with a C, meaning that I got to keep my scholarship and my place on the team."

"But you did have a sexual relationship with Josslyn Davis," Brennan stated.

"Yes," Tyrell answered. "But you already knew that. We hooked up a few times at some parties."

"What about Mikayla Cooper?" Booth questioned.

"Never met her before," Tyrell said. "I wouldn't even know who that was, if it wasn't for all the press coverage on her disappearance."

"I imagine that as an athlete, you have access to the sports storage facility?" Brennan inquired.

"Yeah," Tyrell said. "So does just about every other athlete on campus, why?"

"We believe the murder weapon came from there," Booth said.

"Look, I didn't kill no one," Tyrell said, clearly agitated. "I'm willing to help ya out the best I can, but I didn't do it."

"Where were you the night Annabelle disappeared?" Booth asked.

"I was at the awards ceremony," Tyrell answered. "I got a sports award. One that acknowledges an athlete's 'dedication' to the classroom."

"And the night Josslyn went missing?"

"Partying with the boys, hooking up with the girls," Tyrell replied truthfully.

"What about this past Friday night? The night Mikayla Cooper disappeared," Booth asked.

"Well, I saw the good doctor here, who gave me a headache. Then I went to the locker room. We had a scrimmage against St. Johns at 7," Tyrell stated. "We lost, but we partied afterwards anyways."

"What about before you had your run-in Dr. Brennan?"

"I spent some time in the fitness center, warming up for the game. Then I went to my room to rest for about an hour. Before I got there though, I saw Morgan, and we talked for a while."

"Okay, thank you," Booth said. "One last question. Do you know of anyone who would have wanted to harm any of these girls?"

"Nope. Annabelle was a sweetie, had no enemies. Josslyn was the same way."

"Thank you," Brennan said. "We'll contact you if we have any more questions."

"Yeah, anytime," Tyrell said as he stood up from his chair. "Anything I can do to help."

Booth and Brennan made their way out of the dining hall and back to the opposite end of campus toward his SUV. They walked in silence, but it wasn't their normal, comfortable silence. This one was thick with tension. Brennan could see that Booth was upset by the way he was walking. If his posture wasn't a clear indicator, then the tick in his jaw was.

"Booth," Brennan said. "Are you mad at me?"

Booth saw the concern and fear in Brennan's eyes, and his heart melted a little bit. "No, Bones. I'm not."

"Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Bones," Booth said. "It's just been a long day. And it's only 2 o'clock. And I have a ton of paperwork I need to do before I can head home tonight."

"Okay," Brennan said, not wanting to push the matter if he wasn't willing to open up to her. "Are we still going to get dinner tonight?"

"I don't know, Bones. Maybe."

"Okay." Brennan answered as they got to his SUV.

**AN: So, what'd ya think? Who's our murderer. Is it any of them, or someone else? Are B&B truly okay, or are there some rocky times ahead? Next chapter promises to bring some Sweets into the mix, and I'm extremely excited about it! I'm also trying to fit in another date night, but for who you'll never know..j/k! What I have planned will be pretty good though, if all goes well :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update. Thank you to everyone who continues to read, review, and wait patiently for me. I spent last weekend in Coronado down at the Navy Base visiting a friend for her 21st birthday, so I didn't have access to a computer.**

**So, when I'm describing the area where they're all eating lunch, I'm using the area at the end of "The Santa in the Slush" where the squints are sitting while they exchange gifts. This chapter gave me a lot of trouble to write. I love Sweets, seriously love the kid, but I just cannot think like a psychologist. It's just not in my nature. I hope this chapter works out though, regardless of how unlike a psychologist my thinking patterns are. As Brennan would say...I hate psychology...**

CHAPTER 17:

Brennan woke up at the break of dawn the following morning. She hadn't slept well, her thoughts constantly drifting back to earlier in the day, trying to figure out exactly what went wrong with Booth. She hadn't seen him since he had dropped her off at the Jeffersonian after they had finished interrogating the suspects at Georgetown. He claimed he was too busy for dinner, and when he finally got off of work at 10 pm, he had called to make sure that she had gotten a ride home from the Jeffersonian. She had told him that Angela had given her a ride home, and when she asked if Booth was going to come over, he gave her an excuse about being too tired. So that left her home alone; her thoughts, fears, and insecurities the only things left to keep her company.

When the sun was high enough in the sky to justify getting out of bed, Brennan got up and got ready for work. Today was Tuesday, which meant it was time for her mandatory partners therapy session with Sweets. She wished she knew where she stood with Booth, because if she didn't, then Sweets would immediately know that something was wrong. That was the very last thing she wanted. She needed to keep the kid out of her personal life and away from her emotional baggage.

Brennan spent the better part of the morning reflecting on her relationship with Booth. She took an extra long hot shower, accidently burned her breakfast, and drank more coffee than she normally would. Sometime during her fourth cup of coffee, she was startled from her thoughts by a knock on the door. She set her cup on the counter and then went over to open the door.

"Hey, Bones," Booth said, pulling Brennan into a quick kiss. "You ready to head over to see Sweets?"

Brennan took a minute to process what he had said. She was still in shock that he was at her door, acting as if nothing had happened last night. Maybe he was just tired yesterday. Maybe he really wasn't upset with her for not telling him about her run-in with Tyrell Jones.

"Bones-"

"Um," Brennan said, breaking out of her confusion-induced trance. "I didn't realize you were going to pick me up. I thought we were going to meet there."

"What? Why would you think that? We always drive over there together."

"I know, but...," Brennan replied. "Just forget it. I need a minute to finish getting ready, then we can leave."

She started to walk back to the kitchen to clean up, but decided to ask Booth the question that had been on her mind since yesterday afternoon. Turning to face him she asked, "are we okay, Booth?"

"Of course," he replied.

"But yesterday-"

"Yesterday is in the past, Bones. It doesn't matter," Booth stated, his tone lacking the warmth it once had. Choosing to ignore the feeling of frustration growing within him, Booth walked over to Brennan and roughly pulled her into a hug. "We're fine, Bones. Don't worry."

"But, Booth-" Brennan began to protest. She knew something was bothering him, he just wasn't willing to tell her. And that bothered her more than she cared to admit. Before she had the chance to question him about his feelings any further, he lifted her head to his and crashed his lips against hers. It wasn't their normal kiss full of love and desire. This kiss was different. It was full of desperation and unspoken frustration. Nevertheless, Brennan lent herself fully to the kiss, melting under his touch.

Before she knew what was happening, Booth had backed her into the wall and was roughly pulling at her clothes. She pulled at his clothes just as hard, and quickly the two were taking out their frustrations with each other during an intimate game, each vying to be the winner.

oOo

The three of them sat there quietly. It was almost like a battle of wits, only this one involved who could stay quiet the longest, kinda like that children's game that parents tell their kids to play when they're desperate for silence. Booth and Brennan had been almost an hour late to their session with Sweets, thanks to their early morning 'encounter' against the wall in Brennan's apartment.

Booth and Brennan were sitting on opposite sides of the couch. Brennan was playing with an invisible flaw on the hem of her shirt while Booth was anxiously bouncing his right leg and playing with his thumbs. Sweets silently sat facing them, observing their nonverbal behavior.

"Is there something you'd like to talk about, Agent Booth," Sweets said, knowing that he was going to have to be the first to speak if he wanted to get anywhere with their session.

"Nope, I'm good," Booth replied, looking up to meet the psychologist's eyes.

"You're obviously wicked nervous about something," Sweets stated, nodding his head towards Booth's still bouncing leg. Booth stopped his leg, self-consciously adjusting his seating position into a more defensive one. "I can only conclude that you're nervous because you're afraid that during our session I'll uncover something that you are reluctant to discuss."

"Blah, blah, blah, I'm fine," Booth said.

"No, you're not," Sweets concluded. "Remember this is a zone of truth. You can tell us. We won't judge, will we Dr. Brennan?"

Brennan shook her head. "I won't judge you, Booth. You know that." Brennan was just as curious as Sweets was, if not more. She needed to know what was bothering Booth.

Booth sat there quietly. Sensing that Booth wouldn't open up, Sweets moved his attention to Brennan. "Okay, perhaps we should start with you. Dr. Brennan, is there anything you'd like to discuss with us?"

"Actually, yes, there is," Brennan said, shocking Booth. He hoped to God that she wasn't going to bring up any of their private life in front of the shrink.

"Go on," Sweets encouraged.

"This isn't pertinent to our work, therefore has absolutely nothing to do with you, Dr. Sweets," Brennan began to explain. "I just haven't found a good time to discuss this with Booth. So, please refrain from analyzing this into all of your murky psychological guesswork."

"Yes, I understand, Dr. Brennan," Sweets assured her. "I'm only here to listen and to provide you with this opportunity to discuss your issues with Agent Booth."

"I don't have _issues_ with Booth," Brennan protested. "I merely wish to discuss a perplexing interaction I had with Parker on Saturday morning."

The mention of his son's name snapped Booth's full attention into the conversation. "What is it, Bones? Is everything all right with my son?"

"Booth, everything is fine with Parker," Brennan began. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "But the conversation I had with him brought up some concerns."

"Okay," Booth said, becoming slightly agitated. "What concerns do you have with my son?"

"It's not me who has the concerns, Booth," Brennan stated, knowing that Booth was getting upset with her. She knew he thought she was having issues with Parker, but in reality she loved him as if he were her own son. "Parker is the one with the concerns."

"Okay, what exactly is Parker concerned about, Bones?" Booth asked.

"Parker appears apprehensive about his mother's relationship with Brent."

"What!" Booth was shocked. Surely Parker would've come to him with any worries he had about Rebecca's relationships.

"Yes, he informed me of his fears that once Rebecca gets married to Brent, he'll no longer be able to have a relationship with you, Booth. He implied that Rebecca has been telling him that he needs a real father-figure in his life. One whose life isn't at stake every time he walks out of the door. Apparently Rebecca wishes that Brent could be this person."

"She wants to take my son away from me!" Booth jumped up from the couch and began pacing, his anger was boiling now. "Why didn't you tell me this immediately, Bones?"

"I wasn't quite sure how to bring up this situation to you, Booth. It seemed like it was just a child's fears and that it wasn't grounded in reality. I assured him that you loved him and that you'd never let Rebecca take him away from you. I also assured him that you would never purposely do anything to endanger your life."

"It seems to me that Dr. Brennan did the right thing here, Agent Booth," Sweets interrupted.

"You should've told me! Right away. Not 3 days later," Booth argued.

"But I'm telling you now, Booth. I just wasn't quite sure how to broach this subject with you. I knew it would be a delicate and volatile subject for you to discuss. I didn't want to upset you, Booth."

Booth sat back down, visibly trying to calm himself down. "I know, Bones. And Sweets is right, you did do the right thing."

"Did he say anything else to you, Dr. Brennan?" Sweets asked, knowing just by looking at her that she was holding something back. And judging by the death glare she shot Sweets, he knew he was correct in his assessment.

"Is there, Bones?" Booth inquired. "Did my son say more to you?"

Brennan visibly flinched before taking a deep breath and looking into Booth's eyes. Her voice was small, barely audible. "He wants me to be his mom."

"He said that to you?" Booth asked, knowing the emotions that must've stirred up within her. After all, years ago she had come to him stating that she wished to have a 'prodigy' and that she wanted Booth the be the father. She clearly wanted a child of her own. But she was also afraid of making that big of a commitment.

She nodded her head before continuing. "Using his mother's logic, he said that if you and I got married, I'd be his new mom." She felt tears fill her eyes and then start to fall, so she looked down before continuing. "He wants to move in with us. He wants us to be his family, not Rebecca and Brent."

"Bones," Booth said, leaning over to pull Brennan into a hug, but she stopped him.

"No, Booth," she pushed his arms away and stood up from the couch. She wiped the tears from her eyes and started walking towards the door. She paused when she heard Sweets talking to her.

"Dr. Brennan, perhaps you should stay here and discuss the feelings that have become present as a result of your conversation with Parker."

"I'll be at the lab," she said to no one in particular. "I don't need to discuss this any further. I told Booth what he needed to know, now I just want to go to work." With that, she left the office.

oOo

Booth chased after Brennan. He knew she felt like she needed to be alone, but he felt like the biggest jerk in the world for letting his own issues cause a rift between them. Clearly she had a lot on her plate and was dealing with it the best way she knew how. And he didn't exactly make it easy for her to confide in him either. Knowing that she probably was feeling the need to keep moving, he knew she'd take the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. He ran down the stairs, eventually catching up to her in the dimly lit, nearly empty parking structure. There were only two or three cars there, so he spotted her easily. She was leaning up against his SUV, trying to catch her breath and struggling to control her emotions.

"Bones," he said calmly, trying to be soothing. "Hey, Bones, look at me." He put one hand on her waist and placed his other hand under her chin, guiding her head up so he could look into her eyes. "Bones, talk to me."

She shook her head free, looked down, and then pulled herself into Booth's arms in a comforting embrace. After a few moments, she lifted her head up and moved one of her hands to the back of his head, leaving the other wrapped around his waist. She pulled his head down and their lips met in a passionate frenzy. Like this morning, this kiss was slightly different from their normal loving kisses. This kiss was full of desperation and her need to avoid her problems. He complied with her unspoken request, opening the back door to his SUV and helping her inside, where they embarked in round two of the intimate game they began that morning.

oOo

Booth dropped Brennan off at the Jeffersonian after grabbing lunch at the diner. Between their highly emotional session with Sweets and their romp in the back of his SUV, it was almost lunchtime when they began to make their way to the Jeffersonian. Upon Booth's insistence, Brennan agreed to stop at the diner and grab lunch before he dropped her off at work.

When Brennan entered the Jeffersonian, she was relieved to find that most everybody was still at lunch. The platform was deserted, but she could hear voices coming from the couches upstairs. Deciding to see who all was still at the lab, she made her way up the stairs, only to find just about everyone was there, jam-packed into the relatively few couches, each immersed in their own conversations. Morgan was sitting on Mr. Nigel-Murray's lap on one of the tiny green armchairs. Wendell was sitting in the green armchair next to them deep in conversation with Cam, who was sitting on the red couch. On the couch next to Cam were Angela and Hodgins.

When Angela saw Brennan come upstairs, she yelled over to her. "Bren! Come on over here and have lunch with us."

"I just got back from the diner, Ange. I already ate."

"Fine, Sweetie," Angela said. "Then just come sit over here and relax. Enjoy the conversation."

Brennan complied with her friend's request, taking the only seat that was left; a strange looking round, green chair that was overly decorated with pillows. She sat back, observing everyone and their conversations. Angela and Hodgins were talking about an upcoming date they were going to have while Cam and Wendell were discussing Wendell's grad studies. Morgan was sharing her lunch, Lucky Charms, with Mr. Nigel Murray.

"Did you know that the marshmallow's in Lucky Charms are actually called-" Vincent began.

"Marbits!" Morgan interrupted. "Yeah, I did know that. Try another. I'm telling you, there ain't anything you know about Lucky Charms that I don't already know. I'm serious. I know everything about it." By this point, everyone had turned their attention to Morgan and Vincent's conversation.

"Okay," Vincent said, contemplating his next fact. "Did you know that Lucky Charms was invented-"

"In 1963 by Paul Bunyon, the new project manager at General Mills. Not to be confused with the folk legend Paul Bunyan. He created Lucky Charms as an answer of what to do with the abundance of Cheerios," Morgan answered with a cocky smile on her face. "Told ya it ain't gonna happen, man! Next." Brennan laughed at Morgan's extremely competitive nature.

"In 1975, Lucky the Leprechaun was temporarily replaced by-"

"Waldo the Wizard!" Morgan interrupted once again. "He didn't last long though, so General Mills sent him off to the discarded mascot's house, where, ya know, he's turned bitter and evil and is undoubtedly plotting his revenge."

"I can't tell if she's joking," Brennan said to Angela. "For her sake, I hope she is." Angela rolled her eyes at Brennan's comment.

"Lucky Charms," Hodgins scoffed.

"Got a problem with kids cereal, Hodgins?" Wendell curiously asked.

"Damn straight I do! Lucky Charms is a Christian conspiracy aimed at training children to follow Christianity," Hodgins said.

"Seriously Hodgins!" Morgan said. "You could find a conspiracy in anything. Please, enlighten us on your ways of thinking."

"Alright," Hodgins gladly accepted the challenge. "The crunchy wheat pieces, you know the ones that are good for you because they have all the vitamins and minerals, are shaped like crosses and fish. Those are both symbols of Christianity. And the marshmallows-"

"I believe we've already decided they're called Marbits," Brennan interjected, winking at Morgan.

"The _Marbits_ that are bad for you are shaped like stars, moons, and clovers, which are all symbols of Paganism. Clearly what they're trying to say is that the path to Christianity may be boring and not fun, but is good for you. Whereas the path to Paganism, although colorful and fun, is bad for you."

"Not to mention it'll rot your teeth," Wendell said sarcastically.

"Are you serious Dr. Hodgins?" Cam inquired.

"Oh yeah," Hodgins said completely serious.

"And where did you hear this conspiracy theory?" Morgan asked, already knowing the answer because, well, she knows everything about Lucky Charms.

"I found it on the internet," Hodgins replied, avoiding the question.

"Did you hear it from Patton Oswalt?" Morgan asked.

"Who?" Hodgins replied, scratching his face and looking away.

"C'mon bug man, you know who I'm talking about. Patton Oswalt."

"Wait, that comedian?" Angela asked. "Did you get this theory from a comedian, Hodgins?"

"Maybe. But if you look at it closely, it makes complete sense," Hodgins reasoned.

"Oh my god, seriously?" Cam asked. "Is that what all of you conspiracy theories are based on? The remarks made by comedians?"

"Hey, this theory is valid. Check it out yourself. It's no different than the candy cigarette conspiracy," Hodgins explained. "Those were created as an experiment to see if kids who liked the candy cigarettes smoked real cigarettes later on in life. The tobacco industry hoped that people would remember the good feelings that they had from the candy cigarettes as children, then maybe they'd reach for a box of real cigarettes when they were troubled as adults."

"That one actually was true," Morgan conceded. "But I don't agree with the Lucky Charms one."

"What, just because a comedian talked about it?" Hodgins asked.

"No, because Lucky Charms is my favorite cereal and you'll never ever convince me that they have ulterior motives, other than to bring pleasure to my mouth and my tummy," Morgan stated, climbing up off of Vincent and then pulling him up. "Come on boy, we gotta get back to work."


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: Again, thanks for all the reviews and alerts. Y'all are making me one very happy girl...and I need that given the fact that my cat got electrocuted and died yesterday :( Anyways, here's your next update. I skipped ahead to the following evening. I didn't feel like writing a filler chapter, so just bear with me. I normally don't post on Wednesdays, but today is my 22nd birthday, so I thought I'd celebrate with a new chapter filled with a few of our favorite characters and the humor that goes along with how this chapter unfolds! ENJOY DATE NIGHT! :D**

CHAPTER 18:

_~WEDNESDAY EVENING~_

"Hey Vincent!" Morgan said as she prepared a martini for one of her customers. Tonight she had a shift at the bar downtown, instead of working at the Jeffersonian or at her other job near campus. "Glad ya could make it! I'm sorry we couldn't have our date tonight, they called and said they were short-handed tonight, and ya know I needed the money."

"So this is the bar you work at?" Vincent asked, slightly uncomfortable that his girlfriend worked in such a run-down place.

"Yep," Morgan replied with a crooked grin. "It's kinda skeevy, but it helps me pay the bills. And some nights I make great tips."

"Well, at least tonight you're working at the restaurant part, and not actual bar." He hated thinking she worked late nights here. At least the restaurant was a little more respectable than the bar filled with drunken men.

"That would be because it's 5 o'clock on a Wednesday night," Morgan reasoned. "The restaurant is busier than the actual bar. That don't get real busy til about 9 or 10. Why don't ya sit down and I'll have the chef bring us out some food?"

Vincent agreed and took a seat at the tiny bar in the restaurant while Morgan went to bring the martini to the customer that ordered it.

oOo

"What are we doing, Booth?" Brennan asked as he pulled her from her seat in his SUV. Earlier that day, Booth had come into her office and told her that he wanted to take her on a 'real' date. She didn't quite understand why he needed to take her on a 'real' date when she was perfectly content with eating at the diner or going to the Founding Fathers. But he was insistent, so she agreed.

"We're going to dinner, Bones," he replied. "On a date. A real date. Just you and me."

They walked hand-in-hand down the street towards a run down looking building. Brennan froze when Booth turned to walk into the building. "Wait, this is a bar. I thought we were going to dinner."

"We are. The bar has a restaurant portion on the inside. C'mon, Bones. Trust me."

She looked at him skeptically before finally caving in and following him into the building. The place was called Froggy Tavern's Pub. She'd never heard of it. Yet again, she never really came to this part of town, with the exception of gathering a body from a crime scene. Truth be told, it wasn't a great part of town. She had no idea how Booth knew about this place, let alone why he chose to take her on a 'real' date here.

When they walked inside, Booth led Brennan over to a somewhat secluded table in the corner of the restaurant. Brennan carefully looked around, analyzing every aspect of the room. There were wooden booths, such as the one Booth had chosen for them to sit, along the edge of the room. The center of the room was filled with small tables that were draped with white table cloths and surrounded by wooden chairs. The walls were a dark colored wood and the ceiling was painted red. There was a small bar in the corner of the room. It was very crowded, and Brennan couldn't see much of it other than that it also made of wood, with wooden bar stools. There was a hallway leading further into the building, most likely leading to the restrooms and to the actual bar, which was also accessible from the outside through another door.

"Booth, how did you find out about his place?" Brennan said, finally asking the question that had been on her mind since they got out of the car. "I can't imagine you hang up in bars in this part of town on a regular basis."

"Hang _out_, Bones," Booth corrected.

Brennan ignored his statement, waiting for him to answer her question.

"We're here because of that," Booth said, nodding his head in the direction of the bar.

Brennan turned her attention to the direction he was nodding. "I don't understand."

"Take a look," Booth said patiently. "Who do you see over there?"

Brennan looked harder this time. Sitting at on of the bar stools was one of her interns, Mr. Nigel-Murray. He was eating fries and talking to the bartender, who upon closer observation turned out to be Morgan.

"Oh, that's Morgan!" Brennan said, catching on to what Booth was saying. "Wait, are we spying on her?"

"Of course not, Bones." Booth replied quickly. "We're just here to check up on her. Cam asked me to stop by from time to time. She worries about her working here."

"Oh," Brennan said, nodding her head in understanding. "Is Morgan aware of the fact that you are checking up on her? I can't imagine she'd be happy about that."

Before Booth could answer, a waitress came over to take their order. He was grateful for the distraction. They both ordered something to eat. Booth ordered extra fries because he was well aware of Brennan's tendency to steal all his fries. They both also ordered something from the bar. He ordered a beer and she ordered a glass of wine.

When the waitress walked away, Brennan decided to resume her questions. "So, if you wanted this to be a 'real' date, one that is just between the two of us, why did you choose a place where you knew we'd see someone we know."

"You know what, Bones? Just enjoy it," Booth said. "She's obviously busy with the Brit, so she won't be intruding on our date. Enjoy that. Enjoy the fact that we're not going to be interrupted by anyone. Not Sweets. Not Angela. Not Hodgins or Cam. Not any of the guys at the FBI. It's just us."

"And Morgan and Mr. Nigel-Murray," Brennan said. "There's nothing to stop them from coming over here to interact with us."

"Bones, she works at the bar. She's not a waitress. They're at the complete other side of this very busy restaurant. She's busy working, and when she's not, she's talking to her boyfriend. I doubt she'd even know we're here."

"So, you are spying on her," Brennan concluded.

"No, I'm checking up on her," Booth replied. "There's a difference."

"From what you described, it sounds an awful lot like spying," Brennan retorted as the waitress came back with their drinks.

"I don't believe it," Booth said, shocked, as he looked at the door.

"What?" Brennan asked, turning her head to look behind her. Seeing what Booth was looking at, she turned back to him and said, "So much for your plan on it just being 'us' tonight."

**AN: It's a much shorter chapter than I would normally post, but I really wanted to get something up. So, I settled on this. I'm still working on the rest of this scene, so next chapter will be a continuation of their DATE NIGHT, with many surprise guests!**


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Thank you so much for the birthday wishes! And I'd like to make a special shout-out to a few of my regular reviewers; cheysma2000, KatBonesCrazy, and ScotFree who are constantly reviewing my story and keeping me motivated. There are many others too, but I don't have the room to give a shout-out to each of you (although I'll try to in future chapters). I can assure you that you're all equally important :) Also, this chapter didn't quite turn out how I wanted it, but it's as good as I can get it.**

CHAPTER 19:

Cam knew it wasn't right to be checking up on Morgan. But she worried about her, almost as if she was her own daughter. She knew what could happen to a pretty girl who worked at a sleazy bar; a man walks in, gets a little drunk, hits on the poor girl, and then tries to get into her pants. She was not comfortable knowing that Morgan worked in such an environment.

So that's what brought her to Froggy Tavern's Pub tonight. She knew it was wrong, but she needed to see that Morgan could handle herself. Cam had asked her friends to stop by once in a while to check up on her, but she needed to see with her own eyes. So she called up Paul and invited him to go to the bar. She figured they could pop in, have a quick dinner and a few drinks, then leave with Morgan being none the wiser. Little did she know that when they got there tonight, the place would be overrun with her colleagues from the Jeffersonian.

When Paul parked the car in tiny parking lot behind the bar, Cam's attention was immediately drawn to the red mini cooper parked a few spots over. But it wasn't just the familiar car that got her attention. She saw Hodgins and Angela walking towards the bar with none other than Dr. Lance Sweets and Daisy, whom Cam only just learned had rekindled their relationship.

"Oh my god, what are you all doing here?" Cam asked worriedly as she jumped out of the car and ran over to the group who were already halfway into the building.

"Cam?" Angela asked, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to check up on Morgan," Cam replied quickly. "Please tell me you're not here for that too."

"Oh, we're not," Angela assured her. "We're here for drinks. _Aren't we_?" She glared at the three other people standing beside her. When she and Hodgins had seen Daisy and Sweets in the parking lot, they had decided it would be best to try to go in undetected by Morgan.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Sweets said. "A cover story, I like it!"

Daisy giggled at Sweets's remark. "Lancelot!"

"Oh, God," Cam said as Paul finally caught up to the group.

"It'll be fine, Cam," Paul told her. "We don't have to go in if you don't want to anymore."

"No, we're already here. I want to check up on her," Cam said. "But we're going to do everything we can to make sure she doesn't see us."

"Uh, that's going to be a problem," Hodgins said as they finally walked into the building, seeing that the 6 of them were not the only people there to check up on her.

"Oh, god, she's going to kill us," Cam said.

oOo

_~20 MINUTES EARLIER~_

_"I don't believe it," Booth said, shocked, as he looked at the door._

_"What?" Brennan asked, turning her head to look behind her. Seeing what Booth was looking at, she turned back to him and said, "So much for your plan on it just being 'us' tonight."_

"Shit, what is he doing here?" Booth asked, worried.

"Should we pretend that we didn't see him?" Brennan suggested. She didn't want her date with Booth to be ruined. "Maybe he won't notice us here. We are somewhat secluded. Maybe if we engage in a public display of affection he won't come over and interrupt us."

"Bones, have you told him about us yet?" Booth finally took his eyes off the doorway to look at Brennan.

"No, not yet," she replied, her gaze dropping.

"Bones, he's your father. If he sees me over here making out with you, he's going to come over here looking for answers. And probably threaten my life if I ever hurt you."

"Booth, that's ridiculous."

"No, it's not. Look at Angela's father," Booth began to explain. "He threatened to_ end _Hodgins if he ever hurt Angela. And Angela's dad didn't kill the deputy director of the FBI, like yours did!"

"You may have a point," Brennan conceded. "So, what do we do?"

"When he comes over here, we're going to tell him. Together," Booth said as he took Brennan's hand in his own, giving it a reassuring squeeze as the impressively intimidating man walked over toward the table.

"Hey, kids," Max Keenan said. "You mind if an old man joins you for a couple of drinks?"

"Hey, Dad," Brennan said with a forced smile on her lips. "What are you doing here?"

"Just came for a drink," he replied nonchalantly.

"You just happened upon the same out-of-the-way bar that we did, huh Max?" Booth asked with his charm smile.

"Yep, that's exactly what happened," Max stated as the waitress came and took his drink order. An uncomfortable silence reigned over them for a few minutes, until the waitress delivered Max's beer. "Good thing too because I've been meaning to talk to the two of you." He gave a pointed look towards Booth and Brennan's still entwined hands. Brennan quickly let go of Booth's hand in favor of nervously brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Dad, there's something I've been meaning to tell you," Brennan said.

"Save it, honey," Max interrupted. "I already know."

"You do!" Brennan asked, surprised.

"Of course I do," Max replied. "It's been painfully obvious to anyone in the same room as the two of you that you've been in love for years." Brennan blushed as her father said this. "Of course, it took you long enough to get here, though. I was starting to think that Booth was lying when he said he wasn't gay."

Booth choked on his beer. "Excuse me? I am not gay, thank you very much."

"Well, obviously you're not gay, Booth," Brennan stated. "I should know that better than anyone."

"Bones!"

"What, Booth? It's the truth," Brennan said.

"Yeah, but we don't need to talk about that in front of _your father_," Booth replied, turning red from embarrassment.

Max sat there with an amused smile on his face. "Anyways, I'm happy for the two of you. It's about damned time!"

The three of them each took a large sip of their drinks in celebration.

"Hey, Bones," Booth said as Brennan started to get up. "Where you going?"

"I'm just going to use the restroom, Booth," Brennan stated. "I'll be right back, and then we can have a few more drinks." And with that, she left Booth alone at the table with Max.

"So..." Booth said nervously to the man sitting across from him.

"Since we have a few minutes alone," Max interrupted, "I'd like to discuss something with you, Booth."

Booth gulped before he nodded for Max to continue with what he knew was coming. And boy, was he right.

"I like you, Booth. I really do," Max started. "You're good for her. My daughter needs someone like you in her life. Someone she can depend on. Someone who'll treat her the way she deserves to be treated. Which brings me to my point. If you fall short of my expectations, if you hurt her, I won't hesitate to do anything less to you. If you cause her pain, I will cause you ten times the amount of pain. And don't think you can hide from me. Am I making myself clear?"

Booth nodded. "Yes, sir. Crystal clear."

"Good man," Max replied, taking a sip from his beer.

"And with all do respect, sir," Booth began, "I won't hurt her. I'd never leave her. To cause her pain. I wouldn't do that to her."

"I know," Max solemnly said. "You're a good man, Booth."

"Thank you," Booth replied.

"Thank you for what?" Brennan asked as she returned to the table.

"It's nothing," Booth said. "Shall we get another round of drinks?"

"Yes, that would be acceptable," Brennan smiled at Booth.

"Not for me," Max replied. "This old man has had enough for the night. I think I'm gonna get going."

"Really?" Brennan asked, somewhat sad to see her father leaving, yet happy to get some alone time with Booth."

"Yeah, I think so," Max said as he stood up from his seat to give his daughter a hug. "I'll see you later." He kissed her on the side of the head.

"Bye, Dad," Brennan said.

"See you. Oh, and congrats!" And with that, Max started to walk towards the door. Booth and Brennan watched until he was lost in the crowd.

"So, what did you talk about when I was gone?" Brennan asked, scooting closer to Booth now that they were alone.

"You know, normal father to daughter's boyfriend stuff," Booth replied. "Nothing much else really."

"I'm glad we told him," Brennan said. "And that he's happy for us."

"Me too, Bones. Me too. But I'm even more happy that we're finally alone." Booth leaned in a placed a soft kiss on Brennan's lips. One quick kiss turned into two, which turned into three, which turned into a full-blown make-out session.

"Happier," Brennan said between kisses.

"What?" Booth mumbled into her mouth.

"The correct term," Brennan started as she continued to kiss him, "is happier."

Booth pulled back from the kiss to look into her heated eyes. "Middle of a hot make-out session and that brain of yours is still working."

"It would be impossible for a brain to stop working, Booth," Brennan replied. "Except in the case of death, which is not the outcome we're going here for."

"You're so hot when you correct me," Booth said.

"Well, in that case, I've got one more correction for you. We're not alone, Booth."

"Wait, of course we are. What do you mean?"

"On the way to the restroom, I ran into Jared and Padme."

"Of course you did," Booth grumbled.

"But I don't think they saw me, so I highly doubt they'll be coming over here," Brennan stated. "I tried to stay hidden so that Morgan wouldn't see me. They were sitting up at the bar near Mr. Nigel-Murray."

Booth laughed. "Well, then there's really no reason why we shouldn't get back to what we were doing, now. Is there?" He placed his hand behind Brennan's head, pulling her lips back to his.

oOo

Cam looked around at everybody at the bar. The first person she saw was Morgan standing behind the bar preparing a drink. She was talking to Vincent. A few seats down from Vincent sat Jared and Padme. She continued to scan the room until she saw Max Keenan walking right towards her and the rest of the gang.

"Max?" Cam said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi, Cam," Max answered, nodding towards the rest of the squints who were standing behind her. "I was just here for a talk with my daughter."

"Bren's here?" Angela asked.

"Yeah, over at the corner table with Booth," Max replied. "I'm sorry, but I can't stay and chat. I've got something I need to do."

"Oh, yeah, we understand," Cam smiled towards him. "Sorry to hold you up." She stepped aside so that Max could walk out the door.

"Should we go say hi to Dr. B and the G-Man?" Hodgins asked.

"Probably not the best time to interrupt," Sweets said.

"Oh my god!" Daisy squealed when she spotted what Sweets was talking about. Booth and Brennan were in the middle of a major public display of affection.

"Oooh," Angela said, fanning herself off. "That is so hot."

"C'mon, lets go find a place to sit," Hodgins said, pulling Angela to an area where she could no longer see her best friend.

"You're no fun!" Angela pouted when she could no longer watch Brennan in a major lip-lock with Agent Studly. The 6 of them found a table a little ways away from the bar, far enough away to not be easily seen by Morgan.

oOo

"Vincent," Morgan said. "Sneakily take a look behind ya."

Vincent did as he was asked, glancing over his right shoulder to look behind him. His eyes widened when he saw the gang from the Jeffersonian sitting at a table a little ways away. "What are they doing here?"

"They think they're being sneaky, that's what," Morgan said, not sure whether she should be amused at or angered by the situation. Vincent gave her a confused look, so she clarified. "They're checking up on me."

"How can you be sure of that?"

"If they wanted me to know that they were here, they would've came up here to talk. But they've been here for more than 10 minutes, sneaking glances over here and trying to make sure I couldn't see them."

"Well, somebody should inform them that their plan hasn't quite worked out," Vincent concluded, starting to get up.

"Don't you dare," Morgan said as she playfully hit Vincent's arm.

"Hey, Morgs," Ariana, one of the waitresses, said. "Check out that sexy guy sitting over there!"

"Where?" Morgan said, stepping forward to try to follow where Ariana was pointing.

"Morgan, is it really wise to be checking out other guys when your boyfriend is sitting right in front of you?" Vincent asked.

"Oh shut up, Vincent," Morgan teased. "You know I've only got eyes for you! Which guy are ya talking about Ariana?"

"The one in a major lip-lock with the chick in that cute red dress," Ariana said.

"Oh my god!" Morgan said, somewhat horrified.

"What is it?" Vincent inquired.

"Wait, do you know that hot guy?" Ariana asked.

"Yeah, I work with him. With both of them. As well as the 6 people sitting over there," Morgan explained, becoming quite agitated at the fact that everyone that she works with has come here.

"Who is it?" Vincent asked, not quite able to see who the two girls were staring at.

"That's Booth. And Dr. Brennan," Morgan stated as she walked back to stand in front of Vincent.

"Excuse me," a man who was sitting a few seats over from Vincent said. "Did you say Booth and Brennan? As in _Seeley Booth_ and _Temperance Brennan_?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Morgan asked suspiciously. "You know them or something?"

"I'm Seeley's brother, Jared," he replied. "Are you serious about Seeley being here?"

"Yeah, Jared," Morgan replied. "He's right over there." She pointed him in the direction of where Booth and Brennan were seated. "They're the couple at the corner table engaged in a heavy make-out session."

"I'll be damned," Jared said. "Big bro finally grew the cojones to make a move on the good doctor."

"Um...sure," Morgan said.

"Jared, perhaps we should get going," Padme interrupted. "It's getting kind of late."

"Yeah, let's go," Jared said as he wrapped his arm around Padme's shoulder. "Remind me to call Seeley tomorrow to congratulate him."

"Okay," Padme said, leaning into Jared's embrace. "Perhaps we could even invite him and Temperance over for dinner sometime soon."

Morgan watched as Jared and his girl left. "So, that was Booth's brother, huh? He seemed like kind of a jerk."

Vincent laughed at the bluntness of that statement.

"Okay, we need to do something about the fact that everyone we know came here tonight. This is not the type of place they would normally go to have drinks, so we should confront them about it," Morgan said. "I don't like the fact that it feels as if they've all come here to spy on me."

"I agree completely," Vincent said. "Did you know that the KGB was technically formed in 1917 under the name Cheka to protect the Bolsheviks. It wasn't until 1954 that it was became the KGB, although it went through several names in between those years."

"I didn't know that Vincent," Morgan said. "Now on to our plan."

"What kind of plan did you have in mind?" Vincent said conspiratorially as he leaned over the bar to get closer to his girlfriend, and they began to form a plan.

**AN: FYI...I just got back from watching Paranormal Activity 2, and right now I'm freaking out! Thanks to the fact I probably won't be sleeping tonight (yeah, I know I'm a chicken so deal w/it) you may get another chapter posted by Monday :D**

**I have officially finished the last chapter of this story. YAY! Now all that's left is writing how we get from this chapter to that one. I have a few of the major chapters written, but if there's anything you'd like to see in this story, please let me know. I'm always open to suggestions. And any ideas for Vincent and Morgan's plan? I'd be glad to include it in the next chapter.**


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: Okay, so not _exactly_ posted by Monday. But it's up now, and it's an extra long chapter! Again, thanks for all of the reviews! Your support constantly continues to blow me away. A shout-out to bonesgurl81 for your review, which still has me laughing. Yeah, sure it's a little unrealistic, but it could so totally happen :D Special thanks to ScotFree who inspired something in this chapter, so thank you so much for that b/c I was kinda stuck on what to do ;) Oh, and FYI, a stronger T rating at the end of this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Yes, time for another one of these. Unfortunately I do not own Bones nor any of its characters. And despite my ever persistent dream to work for Fox, that hasn't exactly happened yet either, though I am getting closer. Well, not exactly...but I do drive past Fox studios when I'm on my way to and from my internship ;)**

CHAPTER 20:

"Okay, this is what we should do," Vincent whispered to Morgan as he leaned over the wooden surface of the bar. "First thing we do is call up the drama department of the university you attend. We hire a group of male actors to come here to cause trouble with you. They act drunk. They flirt with you. Now here's, as you say, is 'the kicker'. They then start a fight when you refuse to give in to their advances. Then, you show everyone that you can take care of yourself." He then made a noise of victory and held his hand up for a high-five.

"Um...no," Morgan said with a scrunched up face, denying his high-five. "That is way too complicated, too many things could go wrong. For starters, everyone could find out and I could lose my job. We need something easier. Just...a simple way to confront everyone."

"Hmmm..." Vincent took a few minutes to think of another plan. "I've got it! We dress up as ninjas-"

"No."

"Why not!"

"As much as I would _love_ to dress up as a ninja," Morgan began to explain, "I just don't want any plans that involve me dressing up in a costume or a disguise. Next."

"You could just send them drinks with a cryptic note attached. It could say something like 'I know who you are and what you're doing here.'"

"Yeah, 'cause that ain't at all creepy," Morgan sarcastically remarked, "though I do think we're on the right track."

Vincent continued to come up with outrageously complicated plans while Morgan got lost in his amazing British accent.

"Ooohh," Morgan said, her face lighting up with excitement. "I think I've got the perfect idea." She leaned in closer over the bar and whispered her plan into Vincent's ear. When he agreed that the plan would work, they began their preparations.

oOo

"Mmmm, I could _so _get used to doing that," Booth said as he finally pulled his lips away from Brennan's.

"Doing what?"

"This. Kissing you," Booth replied.

"Hmm...I would have to agree with that sentiment," Brennan agreed. "It's a very pleasant experience. One I cannot wait to continue once we acquire a more private location." Brennan placed her hand onto his thigh, making her implication clear.

"Mmmhmm," Booth said placing a quick kiss to her lips. "Sounds like a plan. What d'ya say we blow this popsicle stand?"

"I don't know what that means," Brennan said.

"It means lets get out of here so I can get you alone so that I can have my way with you," Booth huskily whispered into her ear, before taking one of her earlobes into his mouth.

Brennan was shocked at his bold statement.

"What?" Booth asked. "I told you I wasn't a prude. You don't need to look so shocked." Booth reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet and laid a few bills onto the table.

"Excuse me," the waitress, Ariana, said. "I've got a couple of drinks here for you."

"We didn't order any more drinks," Brennan stated.

"I know, but these are on the house," Ariana explained. "I have a 'Green Lantern' for you, sir." She handed the bright green drink to Booth. "I've got a 'Blue Dolphin' for the lady." Ariana place the cocktail glass filled with a blue liquid in front of Brennan.

"Who, may I ask, ordered these drinks for us?" Brennan inquired.

"Don't worry about it," Ariana grinned. "I was told to give you this note, as well as this bottle of rum." Ariana set a folded piece of paper on the center of the table, along with a bottle of Captain Morgan's original spiced rum. She turned around and left the couple alone at the table.

"That was weird," Booth stated as he reached for the note.

"What does it say, Booth?"

Booth read the note aloud to Brennan:

_You're not as sneaky as you think,_

_Yes, I do see you sitting there Green Lantern._

_I hope you've enjoyed your date, and yes,_

_I did see you walk past the bar earlier Blue Dolphin._

_Love yours truly, Captain Morgan!_

"She knows we're here," Brennan concluded. "I have to admit that this was a very creative way for her to let us know that she is aware of our presence."

"Yeah, clever," Booth scoffed.

"What? It was clever, Booth," Brennan argued. "She knows I love dolphins, so she made me a 'Blue Dolphin' cocktail. She sent the bottle of Captain Morgan's rum. That obviously represents her, as her name is Morgan."

"And _somebody_ must've told her about the time you barged into my bathroom after finding out that I wasn't really dead," Booth said upset. "How else would she have known about the whole 'Green Lantern' thing?"

"It's an amusing story, Booth. And how do you know it was me? Just about everyone at the lab knows about it."

"Yeah, don't remind me," Booth joked, letting his slight anger fade as he took a sip from his drink. "Mmm, Bones. This is so good, you gotta try it."

"That is really good," Brennan stated after she took a sip from Booth's drink. She decided to give hers a try as well. "Oh my god," she choked out through her burning throat. "That is strong!"

"Let me try it," Booth said. He let the blue liquid burn down his throat. "Good, but damn. How many different types of alcohol are in that drink?"

"Four," a voice from beside the table said. Booth and Brennan turned to look at the source of the voice. Morgan stood next to the table with her arms crossed over her chest. "Coconut rum, spiced rum, blue curacao, and vodka. There's also lemonade and sprite in there."

"Morgan," Booth said. "Listen, about tonight-"

"Save it, Booth," Morgan interrupted. "I don't need to hear it. I appreciate the fact that ya feel like ya gotta check up on me, but I can take care of myself."

"We understand that, Morgan," Brennan stated.

"Good," Morgan said. "It's okay that you come here, but don't try to hide from me. I don't like feeling like I'm being spied on. If ya come here, stop by and say 'hi' to me. I'll make ya a free drink." Morgan flashed a bright smile at them.

"Okay, can do," Booth agreed.

"Enjoy your drinks and the rest of your date," Morgan told them. "Now, I've got one more table to stop by, namely that table over there." Morgan pointed out the table where Cam, Paul, Angela, Hodgins, Sweets, and Daisy were seated at. She sashayed off in that direction before turning back to say, "Oh, and I met your little bro tonight, Agent B. I gotta say, I think I like you much better." Once again, she turned on her heels and continued to walk brazenly toward the table currently occupied by several of her colleagues.

"Well, that went over better than I thought it would," Booth said after Morgan disappeared into the crowd.

"I know," Brennan agreed. "And can you believe that Cam and everyone is here, too?"

"What_ I _can't believe is that they were able to keep Angela away from us," Booth joked. "I'm surprised she hasn't come over here and dragged you off to the bathroom for some 'girl talk'." He emphasized the term 'girl talk' by forming air quotes with his fingers.

"Yeah," Brennan laughed as she finished off her drink.

Booth took the last swig of his drink. He set the now empty glass back onto the table before taking Brennan's hand. "Hey, how about we go take this bottle of rum back to my place?" Booth gave Brennan a suggestive smile as he waggled his eyebrows.

"That sounds like an excellent plan," Brennan smiled right back at him.

oOo

"Can anybody see Bren from here?" Angela asked, twisting in her seat to try to catch a glimpse of her best friend. "God, I'd give anything to be able to see what's going on over there." She would've walked straight over to Brennan's table, if it wasn't for Jack dragging her to a booth. Now she was trapped sitting in the booth between Jack to her right and Cam to her left.

"Not gonna happen, Angie," Hodgins said. "They deserve some privacy."

"Dr. Hodgins is right, Angela," Cam interjected. "Their relationship is still new. They need some time to themselves."

"Well," Angela huffed. "They should've thought about that before coming to a public place and shoving their tongues down each other's throats." She shifted in her seat once again, struggling to look in Brennan's direction. "God, this isn't working for me. Jack, tell Sweets and Daisy to move so I can get out and go over there."

"No, Angie," Hodgins said. "You're not going over there."

Angela scoffed and then looked to her left. "Cam? Paul?"

"Sorry, Angela," Cam said. "They deserve some alone time. Plus, I'm not here for them. I'm here to keep an eye on Morgan." Cam turned her attention over towards the bar, only to have her vision blocked by the waitress who arrived at their table.

"Hey y'all," the waitress said. "My name is Ariana. What can I get for ya this evening?"

"Just bring us all a round of beers," Cam answered, trying to quickly get rid of the waitress so she could focus her attention on what was happening at the bar. The waitress nodded, then walked over towards the bar to gather their drinks.

"Hey-" Sweets called to the retreating form of their waitress. When she didn't acknowledge him, he looked down to the empty table in front of him. "I actually wanted some food."

"We'll get some when she gets back, Lancelot," Daisy reassured him. Ariana returned a few minutes later with a pitcher of beer and 6 glasses. Sweets ordered some food for the table then turned his attention to Daisy, who started to tell him an 'amusing' story about Dr. Brennan, her idol, from earlier that day.

Since Angela was unable to watch Brennan and Booth, she focused her attention over to the bar, using her well known sixth sense to analyze Morgan's interaction with Vincent. She animatedly narrated everything for Hodgins, Cam and Paul.

"Oh my god," Angela said. Everyone at the table turned to look at her. "That's Jared!" She pointed to the man who was starting to get up from the bar.

"Jared?" Daisy asked.

"Booth's brother," Angela clarified.

"I didn't know Agent Booth had a brother," Paul said.

"Yeah, a younger brother," Cam explained to her boyfriend. "What's he doing in a bar? He's a recovering alcoholic."

"Man," Hodgins said. "G-Man is gonna be pissed. I am so not the one telling him we saw Jared here tonight."

"Oh yeah," Cam agreed. "I do not want a ticket on that ride." Cam watched as Jared, and someone she can only assume was Padme, walked out of the bar.

The six of them continued to engage in conversation about Jared, Booth, Brennan, Vincent and Morgan as they nibbled at the food Sweets ordered and finished their beer. Their peaceful evening of 'espionage' was interrupted by Ariana coming to their table with a tray full of drinks.

"Um, sorry," Cam said, confused. "We didn't actually order any more drinks."

"I know," Ariana smiled. "These are on the house. I was told to give these to certain people, so bear with me." She said, looking down at a list of names on her tray. "For a Dr. Hodgins, I have an 'Abrupt Realization'." She handed the cocktail glass to Hodgins.

"For a Dr. Sweets, I have a 'Dangerous Liaisons." Sweets raised his hand and Ariana handed him the sherry glass.

"For a Paul Lidner I have a 'Captain's Table'."

"For a Ms. Wick I have a 'Grasshopper'."

"For a Ms. Montenegro I have an 'Angry Pirate'." One by one, Ariana handed them their drinks.

"And for a Dr. Saroyan I have a 'Spy Catcher'." Ariana handed the shot glass to Cam, who immediately knew who this must be from. "And lastly, I have a bottle of rum for you all to enjoy."

"Thank you," Sweets said. "But could you possibly tell us who sent this?"

"It's all here in this note," Ariana smiled, setting a note down on the table. "Enjoy." And with that, Ariana left them to it.

Cam grabbed the note and read it aloud, which confirmed her suspicions about who sent them their drinks. The note read:

_Welcome to the Captain's Table,_

_You're in for an Abrupt Realization,_

_Because you've created an Angry Pirate,_

_With your Dangerous Liaisons,_

_Let me warn you Grasshopper,_

_There's no fooling this Spy Catcher._

_Love yours truly, Captain Morgan!_

"Looks like we're busted," Hodgins concluded. "She knows we're here."

"Yeah," Cam scoffed. "Now we're all in for it. She's got a temper. And when it flares up, trust me, you want to be nowhere near it."

Daisy was giggling throughout this whole exchange.

"How can you_ possibly_ think this is funny?" Angela asked, frustrated with the girl.

"She was very creative in coming up with a way to confront us," Daisy said.

"Yes," Sweets agreed. "Obviously she's not as upset as you would like to believe, Dr. Saroyan. If she really was that upset, she would not have planned this out. She would have stormed over here to confront us directly."

"That's right," a voice from beside them said. Morgan stepped to the table and leaned on it with her forearms.

"Morgan, we are so, so sor-" Cam started to apologize.

"Save it," Morgan interrupted. "It doesn't matter. I'm not upset with you. Actually, I'm kinda flattered. You guys really care this much about me?"

"Of course we do, sweetie," Angela said, leaning over the table to place her hand on Morgan's arm.

"We worry about you coming out here," Hodgins said. "It's not exactly a safe neighborhood."

"He's right you know," Sweets said. "The violent crime rate in this part of the city is off the charts."

"I appreciate your concern. I really do," Morgan explained. "But I can take care of myself. I've been doing it all of my life."

"We understand that, Morgan," Cam said. "And seeing you here tonight...well, that only confirmed it."

"Thank you," Morgan said. "And you guys _can_ come out here as often as you want. Just make sure you stop by to say 'hi'. Don't avoid me. It makes me paranoid, and makes me feel like I'm being spied on."

"We understand," Cam assured her.

"Good," Morgan said. "Now are ya gonna try your drinks?"

"I'm a little afraid to," Daisy admitted. "I haven't even heard of most of these drinks."

"Yeah, what's in them?" Angela asked.

"Okay," Morgan began to explain. "The 'Captain's Table' is gin, OJ, bitters, grenadine, and ginger ale. The 'Abrupt Realization' is sambuca and vodka. The 'Angry Pirate' is peach schnapps, coconut rum, blue hawaiian schnapps, melon liqueur, pineapple juice, and 7-up. The 'Dangerous Liaisons' is Cointreau orange liqueur, Tia Maria coffee liqueur, and sweet & sour mix. The 'Grasshopper' is creme de menthe, creme de cacao, and cream. And the 'Spy Catcher' is sambuca and canadian whisky."

"And you brought us Captain Morgan's original spiced rum!" Angela gushed. "That's so cute!" Morgan blushed at the compliment. At least, she hoped it was a compliment. Vincent came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Hey, you," Morgan said, placing her arms over his while turning her head to plant a kiss on his cheek. She heard Angela mutter something that sounded suspiciously like an innuendo. Choosing to ignore Angela's remark, Morgan focused her attention on Vincent. "What's up, hun?"

Vincent looked around nervously at his co-workers. "Did you know that terms of endearment have been around for centuries? The term you used is derived from the word honey, which can be traced back as a term of endearment to at least the mid-14th century."

"No, _hun_, I didn't know that," Morgan said, giggling. She turned around in his arms, placed her hands behind his neck, and pulled his head down for a quick kiss. "And I thought I asked ya to wait at the bar for me?"

"Aw, leave him alone, sweetie," Angela jokingly chastised. "He couldn't resist coming over and getting you into his arms." Angela grinned at Vincent's bright red face, which would only brighten with further embarrassment.

"Aw, is that true? You can't resist me?" Morgan joked.

"He's just so head-over-heels for you," Angela explained. "He can't help but to follow you around like a cute little puppy dog chasing after his master. I'd bet good money that he'd do anything you tell him to do."

"Uh, uh, uh," Hodgins disagreed, jumping into the conversation in Vincent's defense. "Guys don't have _masters_. We're completely independent."

Angela shot Hodgins an icy glare. "Oh, really?"

"Oooh, you sure you want to go down that road, man?" Paul asked.

"I have to agree with Dr. Hodgins," Daisy stepped in. "Take me and Lance for example. We are two independent individuals who have somehow managed to form a relationship where we are equal partners. No chasing after each other, and most certainly no telling the other what to do. _Isn't that true, Lancelot_?" Daisy shot Sweets a look, daring him to disagree.

"Totally," Sweets said, deciding it would be easier to agree with her than to face the wrath of Daisy should he have chosen to disagree.

"Man, she's totally got you whipped," Hodgins joked, taking a shot of the rum.

"Yeah, well that happens when I'm in love," Sweets conceded.

"True, true," Hodgins said.

"Wait, does that mean that our little Vincent over there is_ in love_ with Morgan?" Angela jokingly asked. A very surprised and curious Morgan looked at him expectantly.

"Well..." Vincent started to say, quite flustered. The answer was yes, absolutely, completely head-over-heels in love. He wanted to shout that from the rooftops. But he hadn't told her about the depths of his feelings yet, and he didn't quite want to do so in front of his co-workers.

"Hey, give the guy a break," Cam said, coming to the rescue. She could see that Vincent needed a little help. "Gosh, I shouldn't let you two girls spend any time together anymore. Angela, your such a bad influence on Morgan. You know she never used to tease people this much before she met you."

"Ugh, I am not a bad influence on her!" Angela protested, laughter threatening to take control of her. "Besides, I can't help it that we're so much alike. That's just the way it is."

"I have to agree with Ange, here," Morgan said. "I've never had a big sister, but I always kinda imagined that we'd have the same sort of relationship that I do with Ange."

"Aw, sweetie," Angela said, truly touched. "That's so sweet. Thank you."

"So, why did ya come over here, Vincent?" Morgan questioned.

"Look," Vincent said as he pulled out his cell phone. "It's past 10. You're officially off the clock."

"Sweet!" Morgan exclaimed. "Just let me go grab my stuff and we'll head over to my place to chill out for a while." Morgan strutted back over to the bar and walked into the back room.

"So, Vincent!" Angela said. "Tell us. Are you and Morgan hitting the sheets yet?"

"What!" Vincent gulped, truly taken aback by Angela's question.

"You heard me," Angela stated. "Have you done the deed with her yet?"

"Oh god, _please _don't answer that," Cam pleaded. "I do not need to hear that _that _young girl, my daughter's best friend I might add, isn't quite so innocent anymore."

"Oh, come on, Cam," Angela complained. "We all want to know."

"Angie," Hodgins tried to stop Angela.

Angela turned her attention to Hodgins, once again giving him an icy glare. "_You_ are the one who wouldn't let me go talk to Brennan tonight. _You_ are the one who wouldn't let me watch Brennan's date with Booth. Don't start with this too, or else you'll be sleeping on the couch tonight."

"Why is Dr. Hodgins sleeping on the couch tonight?" Morgan asked as she approached the table. "Wait, don't answer that. I really don't need to know." Morgan flashed a wide smile towards Angela. "Everyone, thanks for checking up on me tonight. I hope y'all enjoyed your free drinks."

"We did, thank you," Sweets assured her.

"Will you be gracing us with your presence at the lab tomorrow?" Cam inquired.

"No, unfortunately not," Morgan said. "I've got class til 3, then I've gotta go to a meeting with my advisor to talk about the conference I'll be going to next week. I won't be in Friday either."

"Okay," Cam said. "I guess we'll see you this weekend, then."

Morgan nodded her head in confirmation of Cam's statement. She turned her attention to Vincent. "You ready to go, hun?"

"Yes," Vincent replied. He helped Morgan into her coat then wrapped his right arm around her shoulders. She reached up with her right hand and took his hand in hers. As they walked towards the door, they could faintly hear Angela make a remark about them making a cute couple, or something.

As they exited the bar, Vincent turned his head to whisper in Morgan's ear. "For the record, I am in love with you. And I'd follow you anywhere." Morgan couldn't help the grin that, as of late, seemed to be making itself at home on her face.

oOo

Booth had an extremely difficult time concentrating on the drive back to Brennan's apartment. When they had left the bar, the original plan was to drive to his place for the night. But when Brennan stated that her place was closer, he immediately adjusted his plan. At the moment, he'd do just about anything to quickly get somewhere alone with his Bones. Heck, when she had reached across the center console to place her hand on this thigh, he just about pulled in to the first hotel/motel he could find.

After speeding his way through traffic, he was relieved to see that he had finally pulled into the parking lot of Brennan's apartment complex. Not wasting any time, he had simultaneously put the car in park, shut of the engine, and hopped out of the car. '_Good thing I never wear that damn seatbelt,_' he thought. He raced over to Brennan side of the car in time to open the door for her.

"Booth, I am perfectly capable of opening my own door," Brennan stated.

Booth chuckled at her constant protestation of his attempts at chivalry. "God, you're so damn gorgeous when you're annoyed."

"And I must admit that I find you quite attractive in your attempts to be chivalrous," Brennan confessed. "Although, chivalry is an antiquated ritual designed to-"

"I know, I know," Booth interrupted. "But can't you just let me do these things for you?"

Brennan smiled seductively at him then grabbed his hand to lead him towards the elevators. "I'll let you do a whole lot more for me when we get upstairs."

As soon as the elevator doors closed with them inside, Booth couldn't hold back any longer. He needed to feel the taste of her lips as they willingly melted into his. And he _certainly_ needed the feeling of having her body crushed against his. So without a second thought, Booth backed Brennan into the corner of the elevator and captured her lips with his. It was a soft and tender kiss, yet it showed their desperate need to be one.

Brennan immediately surrendered herself completely to the kiss, snaking her arms around his neck. When Booth pressed his body flush against hers, she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist, enjoying the feel of his arousal pressing against her. His hands went from their place on the walls around her head down to grasp her butt, to support her weight.

They barely heard the ding of the elevator as it reached her floor, but they were able to successfully exit the elevator without breaking from their kiss. They clumsily stumbled down the hallway, until they reached her apartment door.

"Booth." Brennan said, temporarily breaking their kiss. Booth trailed his kisses across her jaw and down her neck, until they found a spot on her clavicle that made her moan. "Booth." She tried again to get his attention.

"What?" he mumbled as he pressed her against her door. He lifted his face back up, recapturing her lips with his.

"I need...to get...down...to...open...the door," she said in between kisses. The passion seared through her body, quickly turning her brain to mush. He reluctantly let her down.

She fumbled slightly with her keys, trying to get the correct one into the lock. The frenzied flurry of love and desire still clouded her mind. She let out a frustrated sigh.

"Having a little trouble, Bones?" Brennan shook her head no. '_Stubborn as always,_' he thought. "Here, let me get that for you." He took the keys from her hand and opened the door with ease.

When they got inside, Booth took the bottle of rum they had brought from the bar into the kitchen while Brennan stayed in the living room. When he had come back out, he saw Brennan leaning against the wall, looking sexy as hell. He couldn't help the little growl that escaped from his throat as he watched her saunter over towards him.

"Now, where'd we leave off?" she asked. She pulled his head down to hers, reveling in the feel of his lips opening to allow her tongue access to his. No matter how many times she had done this with him, it always felt like the first time. The little flutters in her stomach signaling nervousness. The anticipation of what would most certainly be happening next. The almost contradictory balance of the tenderness of his touch with the eagerness of his desire. It was a feeling she would never tire of.

**AN: So, what d'ya think? Good? Bad? Also, I'm trying to write a nice little smut filled one-shot in celebration of Halloween, which is my favorite holiday. I'm hoping it'll give me practice on writing scenes in which I have very minimal personal experience. If I post it, you should check it out and give me some feedback :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**AN: I have no excuses for taking so long, but I'm so sorry that it's been forever since I've updated. If you're still reading, thanks for sticking with me for this long.**

**Also, thank you so much for all of the reviews and alerts. They mean more to me than you could ever imagine! They really help get me through the tough times I'm having as a direct result of it being senior year. I'm starting my huge research study (testing the hypothesis that romantic comedies directly affect the perceptions and expectations people have in their own romantic relationships) and I've started on my senior thesis...YIKES! This year is going by so fast!**

**Anyways, where do we go from here? Well, I think it's about time we get back to the case B&B are supposed to be working on. Over the next few chapters, we'll see the case progressing, B&B spending some much needed time with Parker, as well as a very interesting partner's therapy session with Sweets. ENJOY ;)**

CHAPTER 21:

She was awoken by the sharp shrill of a cell phone piercing through the air. Choosing to ignore the annoying sound, she turned and snuggled closer to the man laying soundly asleep beside her. She had just fallen back asleep when the damned thing went off again. She decided that it would be best to answer the thing, for fear that it would just keep ringing. She heard Booth groan in protest as she groggily climbed out of the bed and started to stumble towards the loud, offending device. Taking a quick glance at her bedside clock, she noted that it was only 4 am.

She picked up Booth's phone from the back pocket of his pants. Seeing as how Booth was still asleep, she flipped open the phone and answered. "Agent Booth's phone."

"Dr. Brennan?" a confused voice asked.

"Um, yes," Brennan responded, slowing coming out of her sleep-induced haze. "May I ask who's calling?"

"It's Cullen," the man replied. _'Oh, crap,'_ Brennan thought to herself, knowing that she and Booth had yet to inform the man of the shift in their personal relationship.

"Yes, Director Cullen," Brennan said. "Is there something I can be of assistance with?"

"Is there a reason you're answering Agent Booth's phone at 4 in the morning, Dr. Brennan?" he asked, although he had his suspicions. When she didn't respond quickly enough, he continued. "Is Agent Booth nearby? I would like to speak with him."

"Um..." Brennan started, mentally cursing herself for not being able to think as quickly in the morning as she usually did during the day.

"Well?" Cullen prompted. "I don't have all morning to wait around." In the background he could hear her shuffling around a bit. He also heard a distinctly male voice, unmistakably belonging to his best field agent, saying, _'Baby, come back to bed.'_ Cullen couldn't stop the smirk from appearing on his face, despite the grim circumstances for his early morning call. "Did I interrupt something, Dr. Brennan?" The line was silent for a few moments, with the exception of the rustling of sheets.

Hearing Booth's voice triggered a fury of panic to coarse through her veins. She jumped back onto the bed, throwing herself on top of Booth, and placing a hand over his mouth. Moving the phone so that it was as far away as possible, she whispered into Booth's ear. "Shh, baby it's Director Cullen."

Even with the dim lighting in the room, Booth could clearly see the panic written on Brennan's face.

"What do I do, Booth?" she asked.

Booth sat up quickly and took the phone from her, pulling it up to his ear. "Booth."

"Agent Booth," Cullen greeted.

"Listen about-" Booth started to say, but was effectively interrupted.

"I'm not calling to talk about you personal relationship with Dr. Brennan, although that will need to be discussed," Cullen warned. "I'm calling because we've found another body. Rock Creek Park. We believe it to be Mikayla Cooper." Booth listened intently as Cullen described the crime scene. "Of course, we'll need you and Dr. Brennan on the scene, but seeing as you're already with her, there shouldn't be much of a problem with that."

Booth's face turned bright red, not that anyone could see being that he was sitting in the dark. After listening for a few more minutes, he told his boss that they'd be at the crime scene shortly. He hung up the phone and tossed it onto the bedside table. Only now did he notice that Brennan was still straddling his lap, wearing nothing but a tiny t-shirt she had thrown on after their late night 'activities'.

"Uh, Bones?" he said, feeling slightly awkward with the situation, being that they were just caught by his boss.

Brennan, finally pulling out of reverie, looked down and realized where she was sitting. "Oh, sorry," she said as she climbed off him. "So, what did Cullen want?" she inquired, not aware of the newly found body, as she only heard Booth's end of the call.

"Crime scene, Bones," Booth replied. "Crime scene."

"Mikayla Cooper?" Brennan asked, jumping straight into work mode.

Booth nodded his head. "It looks that way."

oOo

They couple arrived at the crime scene about an hour later. Brennan walked straight over to the remains to begin her initial evaluation, while Booth talked to the local cops on the scene. Apparently the remains were dug up by a dog, who had grabbed the victim's arm and carried it over to it's owner. Getting all the info he needed from the locals, he walked over to Brennan.

"Booth, what am I even doing here?" Brennan asked upon seeing his arrival to the body. "There's too much flesh. This is Cam's territory."

"Yeah, I called her when the local cops told me the condition of the body," Booth said. "She's on her way. Is there anything you can tell me while we wait?"

"Victim is female. Approximately 1.67 meters tall." Seeing the look of confusion on Booth's face she elaborated. "5 foot, 6 inches. Brown hair."

"Can you tell me age? How long she's been dead?"

Brennan shook her head. "Cam would know more about that. But based on the level of decomp? Shallow grave combined with insect and other animal activity? She hasn't been here long. Definitely less than a month. Most likely less than a couple of weeks. Flesh isn't really my specialty."

"So it_ could_ be Mikayla Cooper?" Booth concluded.

"All of the indicators make it appear that way," Brennan agreed. "I did, however, notice that she's missing her left arm."

"Nope, it's over there" Booth said, helping Brennan up and away from the body. Brennan shot him a confused look, so he clarified. "Dog got to it." He led her over to the arm so she could begin an analysis of it.

"Well?" Booth prompted after a few moments of silence.

Brennan shot him a look of annoyance for interrupting her concentration. "It appears that it was not removed by the murderer, but merely pulled from the body by the dog. I'll be able to fully analyze it in the lab, but it appears that the capitulum and the trochlea were separated from the radius and the ulna. The body's weakened state, due to decomposition, made it easier for it to be disconnected. However, a dog of that size being able to successfully disconnect the bones, even factoring in the level decomp, is highly unlikely. Perhaps the victim had a prior injury." Brennan shifted the arm to try to get a better view of the bones.

By this time, Brennan was talking more to herself than she was to Booth. It was moments like these that Booth truly enjoyed; seeing how Brennan's thought process worked. It continued to amaze him. He couldn't believe how much information she had stored in that big, beautiful brain of hers.

oOo

Once the body arrived at the Jeffersonian, everyone went straight to work. It wasn't difficult to make a positive ID, given the physical characteristics of the victim, along with dental records and a DNA match. Mikayla Cooper, 23 year old linguistics grad student. Went missing 6 days ago: last Friday night. She is the third known Georgetown victim, along with Josslyn Davis and Annabelle Ames.

Gathering the evidence, however, took much longer than with the other victims. This was the least decomposed body of the killer's three victims, so the team thought that there may be more evidence. The squints worked tirelessly throughout the day gathering evidence.

After getting a positive ID, Booth had spent most of the day at the Hoover creating suspect lists and dealing with the press. At 7 PM, he finally was able to make his way back to the Jeffersonian.

"Hey, Bones!" he called out as he entered the building. He searched around the room, looking for Brennan. He spotted her on the platform, hovering over Hodgins and Cam. "We got anything new?"

"No," Brennan spat, "I haven't had a chance to look at the bones yet."

"Dr. Brennan," Cam scolded. "We're not done with our analysis of the flesh and particulates. As I have told you several times already, you can have the bones when we're done with the flesh."

"You're not going to find any more on the flesh," Brennan huffed. "The bones are where all the important evidence is located."

"Dr. Brennan, if you weren't looking over our shoulder all day and interrupting our progress, the process would go much faster," Cam explained. "Why don't you and Booth go into your office and discuss any new evidence that either of you may have found."

"That's a good idea," Booth said, placing his hand on the small of Brennan's back to lead her towards her office.

"But I haven't had the chance to_ find_ any evidence yet," Brennan said angrily as she allowed herself to be led off the platform and into her office. After making sure that Booth had, indeed, followed her into her office, she shut the door behind them. She leaned against the door, closed her eyes, and then rubbed her temples while taking a few deep breaths. When she reopened her eyes, she saw two deep, dark brown eyes looking at her with concern.

"You alright, Bones?" Booth asked, stepping close to her while putting his hands on her waist. "Baby, what's wrong?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a quick kiss. Afterwords, she rested her forehead on his own and looked into his eyes. "I'm fine, Booth. Really."

"Bones, what did we say about needing to be honest with each other? Tell me what's going on in that beautiful, big brain of yours."

"I am being honest with you. I really am fine," Brennan stated. "I guess I'm just tired. Upset that I haven't been able to look at the bones. Annoyed that we're getting nowhere with this case. Angry that innocent young women are being murdered, and we're not able to stop it. There's too many emotions swirling around inside me. I don't know how to handle it."

"Bones," Booth said as he started rubbing circles on her lower back. "You handle it by doing this. Talking about what you're feeling."

"I'm trying," Brennan admitted. Never losing eye contact, she continued. "I hate that I've become so emotional since we've started our relationship. It's not me, Booth."

"It is you," Booth assured her. "It's just a side of you that you have kept hidden for so long. It's finally coming back out. Don't be afraid of it. It's good."

"I'm tired of all of these emotions, Booth," Brennan said. "I don't want to feel this much. It makes these cases much more difficult. I find that I'm not compartmentalizing as well as I used to. And with us...well, we're either fighting or having sex. Lately it seems we're never on firm ground."

"Solid ground, Bones," Booth automatically corrected. "Solid ground."

"It's too tiring, Booth. I'm afraid," she finally admitted.

"Afraid? Afraid of what?"

"Us," Brennan said, shyly. "What if this doesn't work out? What if you don't like this new, emotional side of me? I don't want to lose you, Booth. And I'm afraid of what happens if this does work out. What happens in the long run? You know how I feel about marriage and family. Can you live with that? And how is this going to affect our working relationship, Booth? What if Cullen splits us up? Oh, God, Booth. Cullen! He knows! What are we going to do?" Panic became written on her face. In all of today's events, she had completely forgotten that Cullen had found out about them this morning. Or, well in the very least, he probably had a very good idea the change in their relationship.

"Bones, relax," Booth said, pulling her into a comforting hug. "I love you, all of you. That's not gonna change. Sure, I want marriage and a family, but I want you more. And, yes, we're going to have to talk to Cullen. But I don't see him splitting us up. We have the best solve rate in the FBI. Plus you've made it pretty clear you won't work with anybody else. We just have to take things one day at a time. Okay?" He pulled away to look into her eyes.

She nodded her head in understanding. "Yes. Okay." He pulled her in for another quick kiss before leading her over to the couch.

"So," Booth said, sending Brennan one of his charm smiles. "About the case...what do we know?"

"From my initial observation, and Cam and Hodgins's analysis, we have established a positive identity. But you already knew that," Brennan began to explain. "The victim died roughly 4 days ago: Sunday. We have not yet found a cause of death. From the lacerations, bruising, burns, and apparent broken bones, we can conclude that she was tortured. Cam says that vaginal bruising suggests rape shortly before time of death."

"And once you begin your own analysis, you think you could give us cause of death?"

"I'm fairly certain that is the case," Brennan stated. "What have you found out?"

"Mikayla was from Illinois. Graduated from U of I before coming to Georgetown for graduate school. She lived with her grandmother for most of her life. Grandmother is currently in a nursing home in Illinois. She has Alzheimer's. Apparently, she has no memory of her granddaughter. Mikayla has no other known family."

"Have you created a list of plausible suspects?" Brennan asked.

"Still working on it," Booth said. "So far, it's pretty much the same suspects that we have already questioned."

"I hate this, Booth," Brennan said as she leaned against him. He wrapped his arm around her. She leaned in closer, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I know, baby, I know," Booth said, placing a kiss to the top of her head.

**AN: Again. I'm so sorry it's taken so long to update. I'm gonna try to get another update in by Friday night, but there's no guarantees. My sister is flying out from MN to visit this weekend, so I won't have any time to write or update while she's out here. Then I'll be flying w/her back to MN for Thanksgiving. I should have time to write when I'm there. Anyways, brighten my day a little and let me know what you're thinking :D**


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: Wow, only two reviews! Was the last chapter that bad?**

**For those of you who are still sticking with this story, you have my undying love and gratification. Believe me when I say that I have been reading your stories too, and have been pimping them out (so to speak) to anyone who is interested in reading fanfic. ;) So anyways, thank you so much :D**

CHAPTER 22:

Shortly after the conversation with Booth in her office, Brennan was finally called in to de-flesh and then analyze the bones. She sent Booth home, not allowing him to talk her into leaving with him to get some sleep. The rest of the squints left shortly after, with the exception of Mr. Nigel-Murray who helped Brennan with the victim's bones until he left at about midnight.

Brennan catalogued every injury on the bones, staring at them for hours to ensure she didn't miss a thing. The elbow injury she had studied at the crime scene gave her a bit of trouble, but after staring at it for 2 hours, she was able to determine the cause of it. The overall combination of the victim's injuries was not painting a pretty picture in Brennan's mind.

When she was thoroughly satisfied that she has catalogued all the injuries and had found cause of death (blunt force trauma to the head, as with the other victims), she made her way into her office to look over her findings. It was almost 5 AM, so she found no point in driving home when everyone would be returning to the lab in just a few hours. She spread herself out on the couch to look over her paperwork, which is where Booth found her 4 hours later, sound asleep.

Booth looked down at his very own sleeping beauty and wondered just how long she had slaved away over the victim's bones. He wasn't at all surprised to see her still here this morning, and, after her confession that her emotions were starting to take its toll on her, he wasn't surprised to find her passed out on the couch. He walked over to her desk and put down the bag of take-out and a cup of coffee he had brought her for breakfast.

"Bones," he said, gently shaking her shoulder. "Bones, baby, wake up." He placed a kiss onto her forehead as she started to stir. She slowly opened her eyes and looked into his own, confused by his presence. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty, I brought you some breakfast."

"Booth?" Brennan asked, still slightly disoriented. She kissed him softly on the lips before sitting up. "What time is it?"

"About 9," Booth answered, moving some of the paperwork off the couch and onto the table. "How late did you work 'til?"

She yawned before answering. "I think about 5. I found cause of death."

"Oh yeah?" he asked as he walked over to grab the food and her coffee. He handed it to her and knelt down on the floor in front of her, before prompting her to continue.

"Blunt force trauma to the skull. Same as the other 2 victims. Appears to be the same murder weapon as well. Hodgins should be analyzing the particulates today."

"So it's definitely the same killer, then?"

"It would appear that way, yes," Brennan stated. She took a sip from her coffee. "It took me a while, but I was able to determine what happened with the capitulum and trochlea as well."

"The elbow?" Booth asked, in layman terms. "Well, pre-existing injury or rabidly strong dog?"

Brennan looked at him, once again confused, but chose to ignore his ridiculous statement. "It took me a few hours to determine, as fractures to the capitulum and the trochlea are quite rare. But it is my conclusion that while our victim was fighting against her murderer, she ended up fracturing and dislocating the bones in her elbow."

"She fought back?" Booth asked, proud of the poor girl because she didn't just sit back and let that sick bastard harm her.

Brennan nodded. "I'm going to have Hodgins take a look to see if any skin cells or DNA from her attacker is present in the particulates he had found under our victim's fingernails. If there are, then it could lead us to the murderer."

"Good," Booth said, taking a bite from his breakfast. "How do you know that the fracture to the capitula and troch-whatever was caused by the murderer?"

"Capitulum-singular, and trochlea," Brennan corrected. "There was no remodeling, so shortly before the time of death, she fell onto a hard surface, using her arm to break the fall. The shear force of it caused the capitulum to fracture. It's my belief that the murderer then grabbed the victim's newly injured arm to harshly pull her back up, thus fracturing the trochlea and dislocating the elbow."

"But she fought back?" Booth felt the need to make sure.

Brennan nodded. "Although this injury would have greatly hindered her ability to defend herself. It would have been extremely painful. And when combined with her other injuries-broken ribs, cuts, burns-she really had no chance."

"That sick bastard!" Booth said, punching the couch cushion next to Brennan. Brennan placed both of her hands on either side of Booth's face, making him look into her eyes.

"Hey, I know this is difficult. But we'll find him. We will."

"And how many more girls does he have to torture to death before that happens?"

"Booth, I'll be the first to admit that we are making very little progress in the case, but we will find him. We're smarter than him. We'll catch him." She stared into his eyes, urging him to understand, to agree with her. "We will, Booth."

Seeing her concern for him reflected in her eyes, her resolve to find this killer and throw him behind bars made him love her even more. Her strength gave him strength. He leaned up and kissed her on the lips. First it was slow and loving, then switching over to desire and need. They were interrupted by the ringing on Brennan's cell phone.

Reluctantly, she pulled away from Booth and grabbed her cell phone off the table behind Booth. "Brennan."

"Hey, Dr. Brennan," Morgan said.

"Morgan, don't you have class?"

"No, the teachers cancelled for the day. Have you seen the news?"

"The news? No I haven't. I've been at the lab all night, why?"

"I think ya should find a TV. Turn on any of the local channels. Or even the two big national news stations. Tell Booth to do the same too, is he with ya?"

"Um, yeah," Brennan said, getting off the couch and leading Booth over to Angela's office.

"Hey, Bren!" Ange greeted.

"I need you to turn on the news. Any channel," Brennan replied, skipping over the pleasantries.

"Yeah, sure," Angela said, getting the big, fancy screen in her office ready as she turned to one of the local channels.

"Shit," Booth cursed as soon as the news came up. He watched as Angela flipped through more of the local channels, only to find more of the same stuff. "Goddamn it!"

"Booth calm down," Brennan said as she took a few steps toward Booth.

"Do you see why I asked ya to turn on the news?" Morgan said.

"Yeah, thanks Morgan. I gotta go," Brennan said as she hung up the phone and turned her full attention to the news station, watching in horror at what the journalists seemed to be saying.

oOo

Booth and Brennan arrived at the Hoover mid-afternoon. Cullen had called them earlier in the morning, before they watched the news, for a meeting to discuss the change in their relationship. Not only were they dealing with the stress from that situation, they now had to deal with the media. Upon leaving the Jeffersonian, Booth's SUV was swarmed with reporters. They were able to break free without incidence, only to be swarmed once again upon reaching the Hoover.

The drive from the Jeffersonian to the Hoover had been a relatively quiet one. Both partners were lost in their own thoughts. Neither could believe that the case had gotten so far out of their hands, so far out of their control. Not only was the media criticizing their every move, but they were questioning the honesty and integrity of the FBI as well as the abilities of everyone at the Jeffersonian Institute, claiming that they were all incompetent and corrupt.

So now here they were, slowly walking to Director Cullen's office; the fate of their partnership and their relationship on the line. The couple looked in each other's eyes, took a deep breath, before entwining their hands and walking the last few steps to knock on the door.

"It's open," they heard a frustrated voice call out to them from the other side of the door.

"You ready?" Booth whispered to Brennan, reaching down to grab the doorknob. When he saw her nod her head in confirmation, he twisted the handle and opened the door.

**AN: Short Chapter and not very good, I know...but I wanted to get it up tonight, as I had promised. My sis is in town til Tuesday, which is when we fly to MN for the holiday. I'll make sure to update a few times while I'm up there, as I won't be updating again this weekend. Reviews are always nice and very welcome...**


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: The new spoiler I read yesterday is making me super happy! Hence my writing frenzy. I posted a one-shot yesterday. Y'all should head over to check it out. It's called "Reckless Abandonment." Anyways, back to this story, as it's planned out right now, I'm going to have a total of 37 chapters. It may move up to 40, but I don't really want any more than that. We'll see what happens. Now onto the next chapter!**

Chapter 23:

"Ah, Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan," Cullen greeted the partners as they entered his office. "Thank you for coming in to meet with me."

"Yes, it's our pleasure," Brennan stated.

"Please, have a seat." Cullen pointed to the two chairs in front of his desk. "No point in just standing around."

"Yes, sir," Booth said.

Cullen watched as the two partners took their seats across from him. He noted with amusement how the partners never let go of their vice-like grip on the other's hand.

"Now, I know that this is the last place either of you want to be," Cullen began. "Especially given the recent developments with the media. But that is why it is particularly crucial that we have this conversation. Now more than ever."

"Yes, sir," Booth answered. He tightened his hold on Brennan's hand. "We understand." Brennan locked eyes with Booth and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

Cullen looked at each of the partners before continuing. "Then you understand my concern over this new change in the status of your relationship. We are all being watched. Very closely. Not only by our respective bosses, but by the prying eyes of the media and the general public. We can't afford any mistakes or distractions in this case. Now, is this new level of your relationship going to pose a problem for us?"

"No, not at all," Booth immediately replied. "Just because the media has us under some kind of microscope does not mean we are incapable of doing our job, regardless of the status of my relationship with Bones."

"You are aware that it is physically impossible for us to be put under a microscope, aren't you?" Brennan stated. Upon seeing Booth roll his eyes, she amended her statement. "Oh, you were speaking metaphorically."

"I know the presence of the media will not interfere with your capabilities of doing your jobs," Cullen commented. "What I'm concerned about is whether or not your intimate relationship with Dr. Brennan is going to create problems for us."

"It won't," Booth and Brennan said at the same time.

"I like that you're so confident in your answer," Cullen said. "But can you honestly tell me that one argument between the two of you won't affect your ability to effectively work together. That if something happens where one of you are in imminent danger, that your personal relationship won't affect your ability to make the decisions that need to be made?"

"That's exactly what we're saying," Brennan stated. "I'm very good at compartmentalizing. I can keep things professional at work."

"Yes, Dr. Sweets has mentioned your disturbing ability to compartmentalize your feelings, Dr. Brennan." Cullen looked over to Booth. "What about you, Agent Booth? Will this new relationship change your ability to do your job?"

"No, sir. It won't," Booth said. "I may not be able to compartmentalize the way that Bones does, but I can assure you that I won't be acting any more, or any less, protective of Dr. Brennan. You know that even before Bones and I admitted our feelings, I always let my heart guide my actions when it came to Bones's safety. Since day one. Everything has worked out well in the past, so why should it be any different now?"

"Okay," Cullen said. "I believe you. But, to cover my own ass, I will be making Dr. Sweets perform an evaluation of your partnership before I make any concrete decisions on this matter."

Booth rolled his eyes. "Of course you will."

Brennan shot him a death glare. "If it'll guarantee that Booth and I will be able to continue working together, then I am perfectly okay with Sweets evaluating our partnership."

"Good," Cullen said. "I'm glad we're all on the same page. Dr. Sweets will be shadowing you and silently observing your behavior for the next four days, starting today. You will meet in his office on Tuesday morning for your normal session where he will give you the results of his observations."

"Yes, sir," Booth said.

"I will have Dr. Sweets meet the two of you down in the interrogation room," Cullen stated.

"Interrogation room?" Brennan inquired.

"Yes," Cullen confirmed. "It appears that Mr. Howards has turned to the media as we have been unable to provide answers into Annabelle Ames's death. We've brought him in to discuss these matters in private."

"Tristian Howards is here now?" Booth asked as he sat up straighter in his seat.

"Yes, I had Officer Downs bring him in," Cullen stated. "I'd like you to be the one to talk to him, since you've got the lead on the case."

"Yeah, can do," Booth replied. He stood up from his seat. Brennan followed suit.

"Oh, and Agent Booth?" Cullen said just before the couple left his office. "Congratulations."

Booth threw a grin over to Cullen before placing his hand on the small of Brennan's back and guiding her down toward the interrogation rooms. When they got outside the door, Booth froze and turned to look at Brennan. "Bones, I'd like you to wait for Sweets then bring him into the observation room. The two of you can watch and listen from there."

"What! No, Booth!" Brennan protested. "I'm coming in there with you."

"No, Bones. You're not," Booth said. "He's still a murder suspect, and he's got some weird fascination with you. I'm not gonna let a potential murderer get anywhere near you."

"You don't know that he's the murderer, Booth," Brennan stated. "And besides if he is the murderer, and if he's already developed a fascination with me, me going or not going in there won't make any difference."

"Bones, please," Booth pleaded. "Just do this one thing for me."

The look in his eyes told her that it was pointless to argue with him. He needed this, and it wouldn't bother her too much to stay on the opposite side of the two-way mirror. If she was being honest with herself, Tristian did have the tendency to unnerve her.

"Okay," she said seriously. "I'll wait for Sweets, then we'll watch you from the other side of the glass."

He gave her an appreciative smile. "Thanks, Bones." He kissed her on the cheek before making his way into the interrogation room. Brennan waited outside for a few seconds before deciding to go into the observation room without waiting for Sweets. She knew he'd come in when he got down there.

She walked into the dimly lit room and stood directly in front of the glass window. She saw that Tristian was seated on one of the metal chairs with a full glass of water sitting atop the table in front of him, untouched. Booth was standing at the opposite end of the table. He had a chair pulled out, on which he used to rest his left foot. He was leaning forward so that his elbow was resting on his knee, and his chin was resting on his hand.

"Why'd you do it, Tristian?" Booth asked.

"You haven't been getting anywhere on this case," Tristian stated. "I want answers about what happened to Annabelle. Instead of doing your job, your too busy looking at the same suspects you've been looking at since day one. Clearly the murderer has escaped your radar. You need to widen your search. Start looking at other people."

"We have widened our search, Mr. Howards," Booth said. "I know you want answers, we all do. We're doing everything we can at the moment."

"It clearly isn't enough," Tristian snapped. "And that lady Doctor friend of yours? How come she hasn't found anything yet? Clearly she hasn't earned the right to call herself a doctor. How can she even consider herself worthy of holding a doctorate in forensic anthropology if she can't even solve the murders of a 3 college students? The whole Jeffersonian Institute is a joke. They call themselves scientists? More like incompetent and corrupt sheep pushed around by the federal government."

By this point, Brennan was barely able to contain her anger. How could this man say such things? Questioning the integrity of both the FBI and the Jeffersonian? It's a damn good thing she wasn't in there with Booth, because if she was, then, there'd be nothing stopping her from trying to literally beat some sense into this man. Just as she was about to storm out of the observation room and into the interrogation room, the door opened and Sweets stepped inside.

"What did I miss?" the young doctor asked.

Brennan took a deep breath as a way to try to gain some semblance of control over her anger. "Mr. Howards believes that we are all incapable of performing the duties of our jobs."

Sweets turned to look through the glass. He stood there, silently watching Booth's interaction with Tristian. After a few moments he said, "He's hurting, Dr. Brennan. He was clearly in love with Annabelle. He just wants answers. And until he gets them, he'll try to blame someone, anyone."

Brennan glared at Sweets out of the corner of her eye. "He must realize that what he's doing will only be a hinderance to us in solving this case. And, rationally speaking, he shouldn't blame the only people capable of finding out what happened. He should blame the person or persons at fault: the murderer."

"But he's not thinking rationally, Dr. Brennan," Sweets said. "He's grieving over the loss of a love. Grief-and pain-causes people to act in irrational ways. Love is a very strong emotion. It's perhaps the toughest one to overcome."

Brennan stood quiet and lost in thought for a few minutes. "But you're forgetting one thing, Sweets. Annabelle no longer reciprocated Tristian's feelings of love. She broke things off with him."

"True, but that doesn't mean that he ever stopped loving her," Sweets stated. "And that, in and of itself, is a very powerful thing. It's the very reason he's acting this way. The reason he needs answers."

Brennan let the reality of what Sweets said sink in. He was correct. When Brennan found out that her parents had abandoned her, she needed answers. She loved her parents, and even though they broke her heart by leaving, she still needed to know what happened to them. Even after 15 years, when she found her mother's remains in limbo, she still needed to know.

"Perhaps you are correct in your assessment, Dr. Sweets," Brennan admitted. Sweets smiled like a kid who had just won the approval of his parents. "What?" Brennan smiled self-consciously. "It still doesn't mean I put any credence in psychology."

"Whatever you say, Dr. Brennan," Sweets said as he once again turned to observe Booth and Tristian through the glass. "Whatever you say."

"It's still a soft-science, merely guesswork. Anybody could do it," Brennan rationalized. Brennan followed Sweets's example and focused her attention on Booth. After a few minutes of observation, they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Brennan and Sweets exchanged confused glances before Brennan moved over to open the door.

"Hey, Dr. Brennan. Dr. Sweets." Morgan greeted them warmly.

"What are you doing at the Hoover, Morgan?" Brennan inquired.

"Oh, since classes were cancelled-Cam and everybody at the Jeffersonian are buried by work-Cam made me come over to pick up some paperwork for her. She also wanted me to track you down so ya can sign this before I give it to the big boys upstairs."

Brennan scrunched up her nose. "Big boys upstairs? I don't know what that means."

"It doesn't matter, do ya think ya could sign this though?" Morgan asked. She turned a slight shade of pink before continuing. "I kinda want to hurry back to the lab to see Vincent. I haven't gotten to see him since early yesterday morning, before he had to head into work."

"Early yesterday morning, huh?" Sweets said knowingly, waggling his eyebrows. Morgan turned a deeper shade of pink. She slightly turned towards the two-way mirror to hide her embarrassment.

Brennan looked between the two in confusion, before Sweets's implication dawned on her. "Oh, you mean to suggest that Morgan and Vincent had sexual intercourse on Wednesday night, thus the last time she had seen him was the morning after."

"Oh my God!" Morgan said bringing her hands up to hide her face.

"I thought you were comfortable discussing sexual matters, Morgan," Brennan stated.

"I am comfortable discussing those things," Morgan said defiantly.

"You've never acted this shy about it before," Brennan observed.

"Perhaps she's being shy about it because it was her and Vincent's first time together, Dr. Brennan," Sweets explained.

"You two need to stop talking about this right now!" Morgan said, horrified.

"Why? If you're not shy about it, why do we need to stop?" Brennan asked.

"Because, do you realize that Boothy-boy can hear every word we're saying?" The three of them glanced through the glass to see Booth's shocked and slightly embarrassed face staring back at them. They had forgotten to turn the speaker off, so Booth heard everything through his earpiece.

"I have got to get outta here," Morgan said. She turned and stormed out of the observation room.

"Morgan, wait!" Brennan said as she ran after her. "Morgan, I'm sorry. I forgot that the speaker was still on."

Morgan stopped just outside of the interrogation room door. "I understand, Dr. Brennan. We're cool, don't worry."

"Then what's wrong?"

"There are just some things I'd feel better if Agent B didn't know about my personal life," Morgan explained.

"Why are you okay with Sweets and I knowing, but not Booth?"

"I have a theory on that," Sweets said, joining them in the hallway.

"Great," Morgan said sarcastically, rolling her eyes for emphasis. "Let's hear this one."

"For practically her entire life, Morgan has lacked a strong male figure in her life," Sweets began. "She grew up without her father. Her uncle didn't care about her. She didn't have a brother. Now, she's got Agent Booth. He fills that missing role for her."

"What!" Morgan exclaimed. "I do _not_ think of Agent B as a father to me."

"You may not see him as a father-figure, but you do see him as a big brother," Sweets explained. "And females generally tend to be uncomfortable discussing sexual matters with someone of the opposite sex that they view as family."

Everyone was quiet for a few moments, digesting what Sweets had said. "That's ridiculous, Dr. Sweets. It's a wonder how anybody can believe in psychology," Morgan stated.

Brennan laughed. "Are we okay?"

Morgan nodded her head. "Yeah, peachy-keen."

Brennan walked over to Morgan and gave her a hug. "I am sorry if I embarrassed you. It appears that sometimes I have trouble comprehending which subjects make other people uncomfortable to discuss."

The door to the interrogation room opened, and Booth stepped out. Morgan locked eyes with Tristian before Booth closed the door behind him. Booth looked at Brennan and Morgan who were still hugging each other. "Good, now that we got that settled we should get back to the matter at hand."

"Right, Tristian Howards," Sweets said. "Have you been able to calm him down enough so that he won't go running back to the press?"

"I think so," Booth said. "I'm just gonna bring him upstairs have him fill out some paperwork, then I'm gonna let him go. Sweets, you come with me. Bones, you should head back to the lab with Morgan. Take another look at all of the victims, see if there's anything you may have missed."

"Yes, I have wanted to do that anyway," Brennan said. She had moved her position so that she was not longer hugging Morgan, and instead had one arm wrapped around Morgan's shoulders.

Booth nodded, then turned back towards the interrogation room and opened the door. "Howards, follow me." Tristian got up from his chair and joined everyone in the hallway.

"Hey, Tristian," Morgan said, breaking the awkward silence that had crept up between everyone.

"Hi, Morgan," Tristian answered. "Fancy meeting you in a place like this." He shot her a wide smile.

"You two know each other?" Booth asked, immediately concerned.

"Yeah, he's a TA in my class on Existentialism," Morgan explained.

Booth and Brennan exchanged a look of shared unease.

"We should really be going," Brennan said. "I'm sure Cam would like that paperwork you have for her, and I'd like to hurry back to the lab to have another look at the bones."

"Yeah," Morgan agreed, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the way Tristian was looking at her.

Booth leaned in to give Brennan a quick kiss and to whisper something in her ear. "Don't let Morgan out of your site until you get back to the safety of the lab."

Brennan nodded her head in understanding. She tightly hugged Morgan's shoulders before leading them down the hallway and out to Morgan's car, since Booth had driven her to the Hoover.

**AN: Hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving Holiday, those of you in America who celebrate it anyways. Today is World AIDS Day...raise awareness, stay safe (boy, does that ever have more than one meaning!). And happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate that, as it starts tomorrow :)**

**Oh, and reviews make me happy. It's the holiday season, spread some joy ;)**


	24. Chapter 24

**AN: Can I just say...OMFG! The promo for next week's episode! I don't know how I'm gonna be able to wait til next Thursday! No matter how this episode turns out, it's still gonna be one of the best ever...totally epic!**

Chapter 24:

Upon returning to the lab, Brennan went straight onto the platform to begin yet another analysis at each of the victims' bones. Mr. Bray and Mr. Nigel-Murray were already each working on one set of remains, leaving Brennan with the third and most recent victim. Cam was standing off to the side overseeing the interns while having a conversation with Hodgins.

"Dr. Hodgins, have you found anything new with the particulates found in the head wound?" Brennan inquired while she was putting on her examination gloves.

"Same particulates that were found in the other victims," Hodgins said. "She was killed with the same type of bat."

"And the particulates you found under her fingernails?" Brennan bent over the lab table and began to search the bones for any anomalies.

"I'm still working on that," Hodgins admitted. "It does appear that she got a piece of her attacker, though. I found dead skin cells from the epidermis. I'm testing the DNA now. I also found minute traces of cortisone."

"Cortisone? From her attacker? Or from herself?"

"Most likely her attacker. It was mixed in with the skin cells."

"Alright. As soon as you pull the DNA from the skin cells, have Angela run it through CODIS. See if we get a match," Brennan said.

"Sure thing," Hodgins replied.

"And we know that she died on Sunday," Cam stated. "We should send someone over to the Georgetown athletics department to check the baseball equipment for blood and other evidence. See if we can find the actual murder weapon. Give us more evidence to analyze."

"Yes," Brennan agreed. "I would like to send Mr. Bray over there to oversee the FBI techs. Cam, you should call Booth and inform him so that they can meet Mr. Bray there as soon as possible." Brennan ended her conversation and focused all of her attention on the bones laying in front of her.

oOo

After Brennan walked onto the platform, Morgan went to drop off the paperwork in Cam's office. She then walked to the other side of the lab and knocked on Angela's office door.

"Come in," Angela called.

Morgan opened the door and stepped through the threshold. "I have a huge problem, Ange."

Angela stopped working on her computer, the frustration in Morgan's voice instantly causing alarm. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"I think one of my TA's has a thing for me."

"Is that really such a bad thing, hun?" Angela smiled, relieved that it was nothing serious. "You should know better than anyone that brainy guys are very attractive. I wouldn't worry about it. Most girls your age fantasize about having a steamy affair with a smokin' hot professor. A TA isn't much different."

Morgan rolled her eyes as she began pacing. "No, this is a huge problem! For one, I'm in love with Vincent." Morgan tried to ignore the loud squeal that escaped from Angela's lips. "And secondly, Tristian is a murder suspect."

"Tristian Howards!" Angela asked. "I didn't even know you knew him. What makes you think he's got a thing for you?"

Morgan went to sit on Angela's desk and told her about the encounter with Tristian at the Hoover, and how uncomfortable it made her feel. "It's gonna be so awkward in class next week!"

"I wouldn't worry about it much, sweetie," Angela said. "If he starts bugging you, even if you tell him you're not interested, then you should do something. Until then, enjoy life. Enjoy being young. Go out. Party. Flirt with guys you'll never see again. Have fun! You worry too much about things."

"What!" Morgan exclaimed, fighting to keep from laughing. "I'm not gonna go flirt with other guys when I'm with Vincent."

"Oh, why not? It's harmless," Angela joked, throwing a smile at Morgan. "As long as you don't _do_ anything, then everything is fine."

"Yeah, try telling that to Vincent," Morgan laughed. "Or Dr. Hodgins. Or Agent B. I'm sure they'd be thrilled hearing that you and Dr. Brennan are flirting with other guys."

"Umm...probably not the best idea," Angela said. "Listen, just don't worry about Tristian. If he becomes a problem, then tell Booth. Murder suspect or not, Booth wouldn't want the guy bugging you."

The two girls sat in silence for a few moments, before Morgan spoke up. "Are you supposed to be working on something right now?"

"Um, no. I'm waiting for Hodgins to finish pulling DNA from the skin cells so I can try to find a match. I was just catching up on my emails. Why?"

"Do ya think ya could help me study for my color theory exam?"

"Yeah, definitely. But I'm going to need you to go get some supplies first."

oOo

When Booth arrived at the Jeffersonian, with Sweets following close behind, he walked straight onto the platform in search of Brennan. She was just where he had expected her to be: bent over the examination table staring intently at the victim's bones. He stood back for a few moments to admire her beauty and the sense of calmness she held while at work. It took Sweets clearing his throat to bring Booth back from his thoughts and to approach Brennan.

"Hey, Bones. Got anything new for me?"

Brennan let out a sigh before answering. "No. I can't get anything more. There's nothing here." She straightened out and turned towards Booth.

He took a few steps closer to her. "What about Hodgins. He get anything from the fingernails?"

"He was able to find skin cells belonging to her attacker. He's working on them now, pulling DNA. Angela will run it through CODIS when he's done."

"And the FBI is meeting with Wendell at Georgetown to take a look at the bats."

Brennan took a quick glance at Sweets before she pulled Booth so that they were out of earshot. "Everybody is able to do their jobs except for me." Brennan was angry with herself for being unable to get much info from the bones. "Perhaps Mr. Howards was correct in saying that I am not deserving of a doctoral degree, let alone three."

"Bones, don't even say that. You can't let that creep get to you. You're the most brilliant person I know. And you're doing everything you can to help catch this murderer." He wrapped his arms around Brennan's shoulders and pulled her into a warm and reassuring embrace.

Sweets stood at a distance observing the partners' exchange. Clearly Brennan was agitated, perhaps frustrated with this case. It appeared that Booth was trying to soothe her. It was very interesting how she leaned in to him, accepting both emotional and physical support from Booth.

"Got it!" Hodgins yelled as he came running up the stairs of the platform. "I was able to pull the DNA from the skin cell sample."

"Good work, Dr. Hodgins!" Brennan commended. She took the DNA profile from his hands to take a look. "Take this into Angela and have her get started on searching for a match in the database."

"Oh, I'll do that," Vincent interrupted. He had seen Morgan go into Angela's office earlier, and he was looking for an excuse to leave his workstation for a minute to go see her.

"I don't think so," Hodgins protested. "This was my find. I'll be doing the honors of bringing this baby to Angela."

"But...uh...um...I...," Vincent stuttered as he watched Hodgins descend down the steps of the platform and walk toward Angela's office. "Never mind. I'll just be...," he called after Hodgins and then pointed to the bones and then refocused on his analysis.

oOo

"Angie," Hodgins called as he walked into Angela's office. "I need you to run this through CODIS, see if you can...what is going on in here?"

Angela and Morgan were seated by Angela's desk, covered in a rainbow of frosting and struggling to contain laughter. On the desk sat a package of vanilla waffers, 3 mostly empty cans of white icing, food coloring, and 13 bowls of colored frosting. "Hodgins! I was just helping Morgan prepare for her color theory exam. I was teaching her the same way I learned when I was in school. Granted, I learned this in middle school, but I thought I'd be able to rework it a bit to a more advanced level."

"With frosting?" Hodgins said with amusement. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, its a fun and edible way to learn."

"And the fact that you guys are covered in it? I mean, it's on your face, your hair, your clothes."

"We...uh...got a little carried away," Morgan laughed. "Listen, I'll let the two of you do that CODIS-thingy. I'm gonna go get cleaned up then go chill out with Vincent until he's done with work."

Morgan walked out of Angela's office to let the two of them do their thing with the DNA. As soon as she saw Vincent on the platform, she couldn't resist heading up there to say hi to him. All thoughts of washing the frosting off vanished from her mind. She made her way up the stairs and over to where Vincent was examining the remains. "Hey, you!"

Vincent quickly jumped up so he was no longer bending over the exam table. "Hi." He placed a quick kiss onto her lips. "Mmmm...frosting."

Morgan laughed. "Yeah, Angela and I just spent some time studying."

"Did you know that the Pillsbury Doughboy's name is actually 'Poppin' Fresh' and he was supposedly born on March 18, 1965 in Minneapolis, Minnesota," Vincent explained. "In 1970, he was given a family. A wife 'Poppie Fresh'; son 'Popper'; daughter 'Bun Bun'; grandparents 'GranPopper and GranMommer'; a pet cat 'biscuit'; and a pet dog 'Flapjack'."

"You're kidding!"

"Nope. Not at all."

"How in the world do you fit all of that knowledge into your head?" Morgan asked, astonished. She gazed lovingly into his eyes. "How much longer do ya gotta work tonight?"

Vincent flicked his eyes up to his mentor, who was standing in the corner of the platform talking with Booth and Sweets. "I have a while still. Wendell called from Georgetown and said the bats had been cleaned. I should stick around and help Dr. Brennan tonight."

"Yeah, I understand. You're probably gonna be working all weekend too. Especially since this whole media circus started," Morgan stated. "I'm sure Booth won't let Dr. Brennan work too late tonight though, so do ya wanna stop over when you're done?"

"Yes, that'd be lovely." Vincent pulled Morgan in for another kiss.

"Time to break up the little love fest here," Cam's voice interrupted. "Mr. Nigel-Murray, please get back to work. Morgan, you should probably go get cleaned up. Michelle just got here. I believe she'd wanted to see if you'd go with her to the mall."

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, definitely. Is she in your office?"

Cam nodded.

Morgan turned back to Vincent. "I'll see you tonight, then?"

Vincent pulled her in for another kiss. "I wouldn't be anywhere else."

Morgan smiled and then made her way off of the platform, just as Wendell made his way up.

"Yo!" Morgan said as she passed him.

"Sup?" Wendell replied, turing to watch her retreating form head towards Cam's office. He shook his head and walked over towards Vincent. "Damn, Vincent, how the heck did you get lucky enough to get a girl like her fall for you?"

"Ah, Mr. Bray. You're back. I'd like you to resume your secondary analysis of Josslyn Davis's remains," Brennan said, moving away from Booth and Sweets and toward her own examination table.

Wendell did as he was told and moved to the examination table that sat in between where Vincent and Brennan were working.

Booth walked over to Wendell. "Is there anything you can tell us about the sports storage area that we don't already know?"

"Like I said, the bats had already been completely cleaned," Wendell explained.

"Did you see anything unusual or was anything out of place?" Booth asked.

Wendell shook his head in the negative. "Although, Coach Richards didn't seem too pleased we were there. Made some remark about how the investigation was creating nothing but problems."

"Alright, thanks Wendell," Booth said. He knew that he'd be paying another visit to the coach relatively soon. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Angela slowing making her way onto the platform. Hodgins dejectedly followed behind. "Did you come up with anything, Ange?"

She shook her head. "Not a name. Nothing came up when I ran it through the convicted offender index. But, when I ran it through the forensic index, I got 3 hits. Three women had rape kits performed within the past year, the most recent being 8 months ago. And the semen collected matches the DNA of our murderer."

"Wait, 8 months ago?" Brennan asked. "Booth, that would be one month before Annabelle Ames went missing."

"So, something about Ms. Ames caused him to change his game," Sweets concluded. "No longer was raping women enough. Something about Annabelle made him decide to start torturing and murdering his victims."

"Maybe one of the rape victims saw her attacker and could identify him," Booth said.

"Angie already looked into that," Hodgins said. "The case files show that the attacker wore a ski mask. Plus the women had been given drugs, so they barely have any recollection of the event, aside from waking up bleeding and in pain."

"Dammit!" Booth said. He took a few minutes to calm down before speaking again. "Alright, we got a start. At least it's something we can go on."

**AN: This chapter just didn't want to be written. It's horrible, but I'll make up for it. Listening to Christmas music, watching Rose Red, slamming down Mt. Dew (with a hint of cherry rum), and chillin out home alone last night is the nice little mess that brought about this chapter. I'll tell ya, I had to do a LOT of editing this morning ;)**


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: OMG! I may have some very, very good news tomorrow...EEEEKKKK! I've got the BEST internship interview coming up! Though if I do get the job, I will have to stop writing fanfic during the duration of the internship. I'm writing like crazy so I'll be able to have this story done by the new year, which is when I would start. But I'm getting ahead of myself here. All I can do is hope...**

Chapter 25:

_~Saturday Morning~_

The next morning came early. It was Saturday. Normally the partners would have the day off, unless someone had found a body. It was even supposed to be Booth's weekend with Parker. But the degree of difficulty of this case combined with the media circus caused the pair to have to put in a full weekend of work. Luckily Rebecca was understanding when Booth called her last night. She was going to let him have Parker the following weekend instead.

Brennan stretched out on the bed and tried to stifle a yawn. Although it was morning and she should feel well rested, her activities with Booth the prior night allowed for very little sleep. "What time do we have to meet up with Sweets this morning?"

"We're gonna pick him up from his place on our way to the lab. I'll call him when we're ready to leave," Booth answered. He leaned over a claimed Brennan's lips with his own.

"Mmmm...good morning," Brennan sighed contently.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look in the mornings with your hair a wild, untamed mess?" Booth asked.

"Nope," Brennan replied. "And you better not say it again." She jokingly hit Booth on the arm before rolling out of bed.

"Say what? That you're beautiful?"

"No, that my hair is a mess," Brennan stated. "It's the morning. Of course it's a mess. But I don't need to be reminded of that. And add the fact that we engaged in a few very satisfying rounds of intercourse when you dragged me home from the lab last night..."

"When I _dragged_ you out of the lab?" Booth asked incredulously. As I remember it, you were all too willing to leave once you realized what would happen when we got back here."

"You have a very valid point," Brennan conceded. "Now, why don't we go take a shower." She leaned down to Booth, who was still on the bed, and possessed his lips in a searing kiss of passion.

"Together?" Booth asked hopefully through her kisses.

"Of course," Brennan replied, pulling him up from the bed. "Conserve water." She pulled back from Booth and sauntered into the bathroom. Booth got up and stood there, dazed. When she realized that Booth hadn't followed her, she stuck her head out the door. "Are you coming, Agent Booth? You see, I've been a very, very bad girl..."

"Oh hell yeah," Booth choked out through his desire. He chased after her into the bathroom.

oOo

"Did you call Sweets to let him know we're on our way?" Brennan asked for the third time.

"No, I'll call him when we get in the car," Booth replied. "Now, are you sure you're ready to leave this time?"

"Yes, Booth," Brennan replied as she rolled her eyes. "You don't have to treat me like a child. I simply forgot to grab one of the case files. It only took us a minute to come back inside to get it."

"I know, but you're sure you have everything this time?" Booth asked. "I'd hate to show up at Sweets's place and have to drive all they way back here."

"Booth!" she scolded. "I've got everything." She shot him a glare before making her way down the hallway and toward the elevator. "You coming?" she called over her shoulder.

Booth jogged to catch up to her. Once he did, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her cheek. He bent down and whispered into her ear. "God, you look so hot when you get annoyed with me."

Before the couple got to Booth's SUV, they were interrupted by the sharp ring of his cell phone. He pulled it out of his pocked and answered it without looking at the caller ID. "Booth."

Brennan watched as Booth's expressions changed throughout the duration of the phone call. She couldn't tell who was on the other end of the phone, but clearly Booth was agitated with the caller.

"You know I've gotta work all weekend," he replied to some comment made by the caller. "What do you mean you've gotta go outta town?" He was quiet for a few seconds. "Brent! You can't take care of your kid because you've got plans to spend all weekend in bed with your fiancee?"

_'Ah, so that's who Booth's talking to...'_ Brennan thought. Booth opened Brennan's door and walked over to his side of the SUV.

"To hell with alone time!" Booth went quiet for a while as he listened to Rebecca. He hopped into his side of the car. Brennan noticed how Booth's demeanor changed from frustration to pure anger "He's my son! Of course I want to spend time with him! Don't ever doubt that!"

Brennan tried to mind her own business, so she pulled out the case file she had almost forgotten in her apartment and began making notes on it.

"You really are something, Beccs," Booth exclaimed. "I'll be there in 10 minutes." He hung up the phone and threw it into the cup holder.

"Was that Rebecca?" Brennan asked, although she knew the answer.

"Yeah," Booth replied. He started his car and pulled out of the parking lot.

oOo

"Daddy, is Dr. Sweets gonna be my babysitter again today?" Parker asked from the backseat of Booth's SUV as they pulled up in front of Sweets' apartment building.

"No, bud. Sweets is gonna be with me and Bones today," Booth replied.

"Oh," Parker said. "What are we doing today?"

"Well, Parker," Brennan said. "You're father and I have to work today, so we're gonna bring you into the lab. You can spend time with Dr. Hodgins and Angela today."

"Is Morgan gonna be there?" Parker asked, suddenly excited.

"I do believe she is scheduled to work today," Brennan stated. She smiled at Parker and then leaned in conspiratorially. "She almost always works on the weekends."

"But why would she_ always_ work on weekends?" Parker asked. "That's dumb. Weekends are supposed to be for having fun."

"Well, Parker," Brennan answered. "You see, she's a full time student and she works 3 jobs."

"Yeah, she probably works more than Bones does," Booth said.

"That's really dumb," Parker said. "Do you think I should do something nice for her so that she can have fun today, instead of working?"

"I think that'd be an excellent idea," Brennan said. "I'm sure Cam wouldn't mind it if Morgan took a few hours off to spend some time with you. Perhaps you could take her on a tour of the museum?"

"Yeah!" Parker exclaimed. "Can I do that dad, can I?"

"You sure can, bud." Booth said. He smiled at Brennan and mouthed the words 'thank you' before leaning in to kiss her.

"Eeewww...get a room," Parker joked.

The partners pulled apart, laughing.

"Where the hell is Sweets?" Booth said aloud, looking out the window towards the apartment building.

"Perhaps you should call him again," Brennan said. "Maybe he doesn't realize we're here."

"There he is!" Parker said, pointing towards the man who was running toward the SUV. The back passenger side door opened and Sweets hopped in.

"About damn time, Sweets!" Booth said.

"I'm sorry about that Agent Booth. I got caught up on a phone call with one of my patients," Sweets apologized. He looked over at Parker. "Since when is it FBI protocol to bring a child into work?"

"Can it, Sweets," Booth retorted. "Parker is with me for the weekend."

"I'm merely stating that I don't think it's wise to bring him out into the field with you and Dr. Brennan," Sweets said.

"Oh, he won't be in the field with us," Brennan replied.

"You do realize that this weekend is meant for me to determine whether or not your personal relationship will affect your work out in the field," Sweets stated.

"Yes," Booth answered. "Bones and I will be doing field work. But Parker will be at the lab."

"Oh," was all that Sweets could say as they drove toward the Jeffersonian.

oOo

"Morgan!" Parker exclaimed as he ran through the sliding glass doors leading to the Jeffersonian's Medico-Legal lab.

"Hey there, Baby B," Morgan said with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm chillin out with Dad today. But he's gotta work, so he wants me to hang around in here," Parker explained.

"Oh, I see," Morgan said, looking over Parker's shoulder to see Booth, Brennan, and Sweets walk into the lab. "Hey, Agent B. Dr. Brennan." She purposefully ignored Sweets.

"Hi, Morgan," Brennan replied. "Can we ask you to do a huge favor for us?"

"Keep the little man, here, occupied while you're busy solving a murder? Sure, no problem."

"Thank you so much," Booth said. "I owe ya one."

"Hey, Parks?" Morgan asked. "You feel like watching a movie with me? I'm sure Angela won't care if we take over her office for a few hours."

"Yeah!" Parker exclaimed. Morgan stepped aside, signaling Parker to lead the way. He stepped towards her and paused for a moment as he contemplated his next move. He grabbed Morgan's hand and held it as he led her to Angela's office.

"Now_ that_ is about the cutest damned thing I've ever seen," Angela said as she walked up to Booth, Brennan, and Sweets.

"Yeah, my kid's got it bad," Booth replied. "Damn he's growing up fast."

"I think it's sweet," Brennan stated before moving into her work mode. "Do we have any more developments this morning, Ange?"

"No. Just what we got last night," Angela replied.

"Alright." Brennan was disappointed, she knew this was gonna be a long day. "I'm going to take another look at the victim's injuries. Maybe I'll find something that I've missed. Ange, could you and Cam track down Mr. Bray and Mr. Nigel-Murray for me?" Angela nodded and then walked over toward Cam's office.

"You really think you're gonna find anything, Bones?" Booth asked. "You've looked and looked and looked. I don't know that there's anything there, if you haven't already found it."

"What else do you expect me to do, Booth? I can't just sit around. I need to _do_ something."

"Yeah, I know," Booth nodded in agreement. "I'm gonna have the FBI send over the rape files, so I can take a look at them. Mind if I use your office?"

Brennan walked up to Booth and wrapped arms around his neck, placing a short, sweet kiss on his lips. "Not at all. Let me know if you find anything." Booth nodded then kissed her cheek. Brennan turned her head and whispered into his ear. "And take Sweets with you. I don't know if I can deal with him today." She backed up, looking meaningfully into Booth's eyes.

"I'll come out in a little while to check up on you," Booth said.

"I don't need anybody to check up on me, Booth," Brennan argued with a gleam in her eyes. "But if you were implying that you'll come out to see if I have found anything new pertaining to the case, then by all means do so."

Booth threw her a cocky smile. "Alright, Sweets! You're with me." Booth walked away from Brennan, with Sweets trailing behind him.

"That was very interesting," Sweets commented.

"What was interesting?" Booth asked, holding the door to Brennan's office open so that Sweets could come inside.

"You're little exchange with Dr. Brennan," Sweets stated.

Booth groaned and rolled his eyes. "I thought you were here to be a _silent _observer. Silent being the key word. Silent, as in not commenting on what you see."

"Certainly," Sweets said. "We can discuss these things in my office on Tuesday morning."

"Looking forward to it," Booth sarcastically said as he sat down on Brennan's couch.

oOo

"Booth." Booth answered his phone, glad for the interruption. He and Sweets had been studying the rape case files for roughly 5 hours, minus the hour long lunch he had taken with Brennan and Parker at the diner. It was just shy of 3 o'clock and Booth couldn't wait for this long day to be over. "Yes, sir. I'll be right over."

Booth shut his phone before turing to address Sweets, who had been looking at him with curiosity. "Cullen needs me back at the FBI. Another DVD was sent. You stay here looking over the files while I go pick up the DVD for Angela to analyze."

"Yeah, sure thing," Sweets said. "Did you want me to tell Dr. Brennan where you are going?"

"Yeah, could you? Cullen wants me to get to the FBI as soon as possible. I'm not sure I really have the time to talk to Bones about it." Booth put on his coat and quickly made his way out of the lab.

Sweets stood up from the couch and decided to go look for Brennan. Before he made it out the door, Brennan stormed into her office.

"Where is Booth going?" Brennan demanded. "I swear, if you said something to upset him..." She took a menacing step toward him.

"Calm down, Dr. Brennan," Sweets coolly replied. "Cullen called. Booth has to get to the FBI. Apparently the killer sent yet another DVD."

"Oh," Brennan said. "Then I'm sorry for my brash behavior regarding you."

"It's okay, Dr. Brennan," Sweets assured her. "I understand your protectiveness towards Agent Booth. Though I did find it interesting-"

"Not now Sweets," Brennan complained. "I can't handle your psychological guesswork." She buried her face in her hands, in an effort to try to block out Sweets's ramblings and to try to ease the headache that had formed over the course of the day. She took a deep breath before bringing her head up to look at him again. "Have you found anything helpful in the files?"

"Not much," Sweets admitted. "Though it is enough for me to add more to the psychological profile I have been creating."

"And how's that coming?" Brennan scoffed, sarcasm lacing her voice.

"Dr. Brennan, I would think that by now you'd seen enough evidence to support the fact that my area of expertise does indeed help Agent Booth and yourself with your cases."

"Although in the past they have been of some help, I am reluctant to admit that they hold real value to our overall efforts in solving crimes," Brennan explained. "And with this case, you have been of absolutely no help whatsoever. Possibly even a hinderance to the process."

"Is there something you'd like to discuss with me, Dr. Brennan?" Sweets asked. "I'm sensing that there is something besides these murders that has occupied your mind."

Brennan crossed her arms over her chest and raised one of her eyebrows, as if daring him to continue.

"Dr. Brennan, I know that you have been under a great deal of stress lately," Sweets began, ignoring the glare Brennan was sending him. "Your life has changed so much in these past few weeks. How have you been coping with these changes?"

"Coping?" Brennan inquired. "You make it sound like these changes are bad."

"That's not at all what I meant, Dr. Brennan," Sweets said. "You have always been an extremely strong and independent woman. Now, you have to learn how to depend on Booth, and how to be slightly more open and vulnerable with him. For someone like yourself, that has got to be very frustrating. Even if it _is_ what you ultimately want."

"That holds absolutely no meaning to me," Brennan stated. "Now I really must go find Angela to inform her of this new DVD that Booth will be bringing back to the Jeffersonian. I also have to make sure that Parker will be nowhere near us while we begin to analyze it." Brennan stormed out of her office, eager to get away from the annoying psychologist. She walked over to Angela's office, instantly calming down at the sight that greeted her.

Angela's entire office was covered with a large tarp, leaving no surface unprotected. In the center of the room stood a large easel, holding an equally large canvas. Angela, Morgan, and Parker were standing in front of it wearing large garbage bags to protect their clothing. Loud music was coming from the speakers on Angela's desk. The three of them were singing and dancing along to the music as they painted. Brennan was amazed at the innocence that a child could bring into a place filled with the stresses and frustrations that came with solving murders.

Before Brennan could clear her throat to make her presence known, Parker's dancing (well, jumping) caused him to turn around and see her standing in the doorway. "Dr. Bones!"

"Hey, Parker! Are you having a good time in here with Ange and Morgan?" Brennan inquired.

"Yeah!" Parker exclaimed. "We got bored watching movies, so Ange told us we could help her paint!"

"I hope that's alright," Angela said. "They were really bored. I made sure that his clothes couldn't get any paint on them, and it'll wash off of his skin and hair."

"It's fine, Ange," Brennan reassured her friend. "I'm sure Booth won't care. Thank you for doing this."

"Are we leaving Dr. Bones?" Parker asked. He looked over to Morgan. "Can Morgan come with us? Or does she have to stay here and work?"

"We're not leaving yet, Parker," Brennan said. "Your father is on his way back here from the Hoover with some new evidence for us to review. I was merely going to suggest that when he gets back here, perhaps Morgan wouldn't mind taking you on a tour of the museum."

"Cool!" Parker said. "Would ya do that, Morgan?"

"Absolutely. Sounds like a lot of fun," Morgan said. "Why don't we get this garbage bag off ya so you can go get washed up." Morgan helped Parker take off the garbage bag, and then he made his way out of Angela's office and towards the bathrooms.

"What's going on, Bren?" Angela asked as soon as she was sure that Parker was out of ear shot.

"Another DVD was sent to the FBI. We need you to analyze it," Brennan explained. "Which is why we need you, Morgan, to take Parker away for a few hours. I don't want to risk him walking in and seeing any of that."

"Yeah, no problem," Morgan said.

"Booth should be here shortly," Brennan stated. "We should probably get this placed cleaned before he arrives."

oOo

"He's getting more elaborate in his torture," Angela stated. "It's not just a physical beating and rape anymore. A baseball bat isn't the only weapon now, either."

"Why didn't that show up on the bones?" Brennan asked herself as they re-watched the DVD for the 4th time. There should be indicators on the bones of a knife attack."

"How come Cam didn't see it before you removed the flesh?" Booth asked. "I mean, there had to be plenty of open cuts on the skin, right?"

"It appears that the knife activity was localized to an area that was already completely eaten or decomposed by the time we discovered the body," Brennan explained. "There wasn't any indication of a second weapon used during the attack."

"That poor girl," Angela sobbed as the video showed the girl finally begging for death, after many vain attempts to beg for her life.

"Ange?" Brennan asked. She took a few steps closer to her friend.

"I'm fine," Angela replied. "I'll continue trying to pull anything from the DVD. You guys should go find Parker and bring him home for the night. I'm pretty sure he and Morgan crashed in your office about a half an hour ago."

"Ange-" Booth tried, before being interrupted.

"Spend time with your son, Booth," Angela said. "I'll be fine here with this. If I need anyone, I've always got Hodgins."

"Okay," Booth conceded. "But don't work too much more on this tonight. It's starting to get late, you should take some time to rest. Come back tomorrow morning and work some more. You may be able to find more once you're rested and looking at it with fresh eyes."

"Yeah, I won't stay too much longer," Angela assured him. "Hodgins wants to take me to a fancy late night dinner tonight."

"Good," Brennan said. "You deserve it." She took a step closer to Angela. "Thank you so much for doing all of this. I know it affects you more than me. Thank you."

"Yeah," Angela said. "I hate doing it. But if it'll help lead up to this sick, sadistic bastard, then I'm all in."

Brennan closed the distance between herself and her best friend, pulling her into a hug. After a few minutes, Brennan pulled back and turned towards Booth. "You ready?"

"Yeah, lets just go see if we can tear Parker away from Morgan," Booth laughed. Booth and Brennan walked together out of Angela's office. They made their way over to Brennan's office, quietly sneaking in to find Parker asleep on the couch. Morgan was sitting on Brennan's desk and talking quietly with Vincent. "Hey, he didn't give you much trouble today, did he?"

"Not at all, Agent B," Morgan said as she hopped off of Brennan's desk. "He's sweet. I think I wore him out though." Morgan grabbed Vincent's hand and walked closer to Brennan. "Dr. Brennan? Do ya care if Vincent leaves with me for the night? One of my roommates is moving out tonight, so we're kinda throwing her a goodbye party."

"That's fine, Morgan," Brennan answered. "We've done all we can for the night. Though I expect you to be here early tomorrow morning, Mr. Nigel-Murray."

He nodded his head. Morgan and Vincent said their goodbyes and quickly left the office.

"Do you think you'll be able to wake him?" Brennan inquired as she watched Booth kneel next to his sleeping son.

"I don't think so. He's pretty out of it," Booth commented. "I'll have to carry him to the car. Get Sweets, tell him we're leaving."

About a half an hour later, the partners had dropped Sweets off at his apartment with assurances to pick him up again the following morning. After the relatively short drive to Booth's apartment, Booth handed Brennan the keys and walked around to the back seat. He picked up his not-so-little-anymore sleeping son and began to carry him into the building. Parker stirred, mumbling something incoherently.

"What was that, bud?" Booth asked.

Parker slightly lifted up his head off his dad's shoulder. "How do you know you're in love?"

"It's just something you know," Booth said, quickly glancing at Bones. "You feel it in here." Booth pointed to Parker's heart. "And in here." He pointed to Parker's head.

"I think I love her," Parker said. "She's pretty. And nice. Fun too." He let his head fall back onto his dad's shoulder and fell back into a peaceful sleep.

Brennan unlocked the door to Booth's apartment and held the door open for Booth. He carried Parker inside, and then Booth and Brennan tucked him into his bed. They stood by the doorway for a few minutes and watched him sleep.

"God, my little boy's growing up so fast," Booth whispered to Brennan. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, pulling her in closer.

"He's getting older, Booth. That tends to happen," Brennan explained. "It's only to be expected."

"I know, but it doesn't make this any easier," Booth replied. He was silent for a few moments. "He told me he thinks he's in love."

"I know." Brennan stated. "I heard." She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You should be proud he believes in love. After all, you're the one who taught me the importance of it." Brennan brought her face up to meet Booth's, connecting his lips with hers. "Come on, we should get to bed."

**AN: I'm gonna be honest right now...delving into the world of fanfic has been one of the best things I've done this year! Thank you to all who read and review :D**


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while. I didn't get the internship (which was at Fox), and it really disappointed me. I know it's tough competition and all, but it still made me sad. And to top it all off, I just found out that I need to retake my theory class next semester! FML!**

**Oh well, now that I've taken a few days to just drop everything and relax, I've bounced back with a vengeance ;)**

Chapter 26:

The rest of the weekend went by in pretty much the same manner. Sunday morning, Booth and Brennan took Parker out for breakfast at the diner before heading into the lab. Upon entering the lab, Parker immediately went in search of Morgan, only to find out that she took the day off to prepare for her trip to Maine, which she was leaving for in 3 days. A dissatisfied Parker grudgingly walked into Brennan's office and sat bored for a few hours. Without Morgan around to hang out with him, the day crawled by slowly. Around 3 o'clock, Brennan went into her office to get Parker. She and Booth took him out to a late lunch, during which one or both of the adults were constantly on the phone. Dr. Sweets had come with them, which meant that he was the only real option for Parker to hold a conversation with without getting interrupted by the ringing of a cell phone.

Booth felt terrible all weekend about not being able to spend much time with his son. Booth was grateful that Morgan had been around on Saturday to keep Parker entertained. Unfortunately that wasn't the case on Sunday. Parker had spent the entire morning sitting in Brennan's office staring at the wall. Booth's heart broke a little every time he stuck his head in to check on his son only to see the poor boy sitting on the couch and staring off into space. He was able to convince Brennan to take an hour off for lunch so they could spend some time with Parker. Unfortunately, even that didn't go as planned. Both Booth and Brennan's cell phones were ringing off the hook. After eating their lunch, Booth and Brennan brought Parker to his mother's house. They apologized for not being able to spend much time with him and promised to make it up to him the following weekend.

Monday went by as a blur. It was work as usual with Brennan examining the remains and Booth looking over the files. Booth had been called in for a meeting with Cullen, where he was informed that, as the lead investigator, Booth would have to speak at a press conference they would be holding on Wednesday morning to address the questions and accusations made by the media. After his meeting with Cullen, Booth called Brennan and told her to get Sweets and meet him outside the Jeffersonian so they could head back to Georgetown and look around the athletics department for the knife that had been used on the most recent victim. They were able to sequester 3 knives that were similar to the one seen in the video. They brought the evidence back to the lab for Hodgins before calling it a night and heading to Brennan's apartment.

oOo

_~Tuesday~_

The room was quiet, minus the_ tap tap tap_ of a pencil on a pad of paper. The partners sat together on the couch, waiting for their fate to be delivered. Their fate. In the hands of a 12 year old. Who practices the art of guesswork as a career. Needless to say it had been a difficult morning, with neither partner speaking much in fear of what would come. They trusted Sweets, that he would make the right decision regarding their partnership. More importantly, they trusted each other. They trusted the fact that neither of them would jeopardize the chance of keeping their partnership in tact, as well as keeping their relationship together should their partnership be severed.

So here they were, sitting patiently (or impatiently depending on how you look at it) in Sweets's office, waiting for his assessment. But he wasn't speaking. He was watching the partners, evaluating their interaction with each other, waiting for one of them to speak up. So he sat there, nervously tapping his pencil on his pad of paper.

_Tap. Tap._

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

_Tap._

_Tap. Ta-_

"Dammit, Sweets!" Booth finally exclaimed, causing Sweets to drop his pencil onto the floor. Booth's patience had run out. Brennan shot him a glare, which he took as a warning to better regulate his temper. So he took a deep, calming breath before continuing. "What's the verdict? Do we get to stay partners?"

Sweets sat up straighter in his chair in an effort to have, or rather appear to have, more authority. "After having conducted an extensive observation and evaluation of your partnership..." Sweets looked at the hopeful faces of the couple sitting in front of him "...I have concluded that the nature of your personal relationship holds no negative impact on the effectiveness in which you conduct your professional lives."

"So, what does that mean?" Booth asked. He looked over to Brennan and grabbed her hand in his own.

She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, before answering him. "I believe Dr. Sweets has concluded that he supports our relationship and will inform the FBI that we should continue working together. Am I correct in that assessment?"

"Yes you are, Dr. Brennan," Sweets said with a smile. "The two of you can officially remain partners."

"Yes!" Booth exclaimed as relief washed over him. "We're back, baby!" He turned to Brennan to give her a high five with the hand that wasn't already holding onto hers.

"We, technically, haven't gone anywhere," Brennan pointed out. "So you saying that 'we're back' has no relevance whatsoever."

"You know what I mean, though," Booth rolled his eyes at her. "We're not going anywhere because no one is gonna split us up."

Brennan smiled at Booth before turning her attention to Sweets. "So what does this mean for us now? Are there any more formalities? Are we free to go?"

"You will still be required to attend your weekly partner's therapy sessions with me," Sweets explained. "There will also be mandatory performance reviews in which your work will be reviewed by your respective bosses. But those should be far less frequent. I feel as though I should warn you that your work will undergo far more scrutiny than you may be used to."

"Yeah, we get that," Booth said. "But we do get to keep working together, right?" Booth was still in shock and couldn't wrap his head around the idea that everything was turning out perfectly.

"Yes, Booth," Brennan answered. "Were you not listening before. I believe we've already covered that we are able to remain partners."

"Okay, so we're done here then, right?" Booth said. "We stay partners, continue with these pointless weekly sessions, be on our best behavior around our bosses. That's all, right?"

"Yes, that's all," Sweets agreed. The partners smiled at each other as they jumped off the couch and began to make their way over to the door. "However..."

"Damn," Booth muttered to Brennan. "I knew it was too good to be true."

"Is there something else, Dr. Sweets?" Brennan asked as she turned around to stare at the young, slightly scared psychologist.

"Actually, there is," Sweets said as he gestured to the couch. "If the two of you could please sit back down, there is one other matter that I would like to discuss."

"Seriously?" Booth groaned as he followed Brennan back to the couch. She shot him a glare before taking a seat.

"Now," Sweets began. "Something has been brought to my attention that has risen some concerns in regards to your personal relationship and the way you are dealing with problems."

"Problems?" Brennan inquired.

"Yes," Sweets replied. "You know...tension, arguments, disagreements..."

"Yes, I know what problems are," Brennan stated. "What I was inquiring about was what made you believe that we are having problems? And how would you know how we deal with those said problems?"

"Yeah, Bones and I are fine," Booth said.

"Yes, I believe you are," Sweets said. "However, I believe you need to adjust the way you handle how you deal with any problems that may arise."

"Okay..." Booth said, not quite following what the psychologist was saying.

"Communication," Sweets stated. "You need to work on your communication skills."

"We communicate just fine," Brennan said.

"Well, this is a little awkward," Sweets said. "You see, after our last session...well, lets just say that there was some security footage that was brought to my attention."

"Security footage?" Booth asked. "Now, what the hell does that mean?"

"Well, after Dr. Brennan became upset and ran out of my office, you chased after her," Sweets recalled. "Security tapes show that you followed her into the parking garage." Sweets coughed. He didn't wish to spell everything out for the partners, but feared that's exactly what he would need to do.

"Parking garage," Brennan said, more to herself than anyone else. She shared a look with Booth before turning back towards Sweets. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue.

"Um...well...you see...how do I put this?" Sweets asked himself. "You clearly aren't talking about your problems. From what I could discern from the security footage, once Booth found you, the two of you hugged before indulging in more passionate endeavors. In the backseat of Booth's SUV, to be exact."

"Security cameras caught us...you know," Booth squeaked out.

"Yes," Sweets answered. "And what concerns me is that it appears that whenever things get bad, whenever the two of you hit a rough patch, instead of talking about your feelings, you engage in a more physical way of dealing with your emotions. Or as a means to avoid the confrontation altogether."

"You think we are treating sexual intercourse as a surrogate to talking about our problems?" Brennan inquired.

"Yeah, I think you do," Sweets replied honestly. "And it's not healthy. Sex can't, and shouldn't, be the answer to your problems. I suggest that the two of you take a two week break from engaging in sexual activities."

"Two weeks?" Booth asked. "A two week break from sex?"

"Yes," Sweets said. "I feel as though it would be very beneficial to you and your relationship. It will give you an opportunity to learn how to better communicate with each other, which is important to every successful relationship."

Booth and Brennan were silent as they processed this information. Were they really behaving in the way in which Sweets had seemingly observed? The ringing of Brennan's cell phone broke through the silence.

"Dr. Brennan, I'd prefer if you didn't answer your phone during our sessions," Sweets complained.

Brennan ignored Sweets's comment. "Brennan...yes...yes, I'll be there shortly." Brennan closed her phone and looked up at Sweets. "We will take your advice into consideration. Now, if you would excuse me, I am needed at the lab." Brennan stood up and started walking towards the door.

"I'll drive you," Booth said, getting up after her.

Brennan turned back to face Booth. "No, you should stay and prepare for your meeting with Cullen. I'll take a cab."

Booth protested a little, but eventually gave in to Brennan's wishes. She walked out of the office and he turned his attention back to Sweets. "Alright, if we're done here, then I'm just gonna..." Booth made a clicking noise with his tongue and pointed over his shoulder towards the door with his thumb.

"Actually, Agent Booth," Sweets said, "I'd like to discuss one more thing with you."

"Of course you would," Booth said as he made his way back over to the couch. Something on the table caught his eye. "Hey, look at that. Bones left one of her case files here." He picked up the file and stood from the couch. "I should probably get this to her."

"Sit please, Agent Booth." Sweets gestured to the couch. "I'm sure Dr. Brennan won't be missing that case file in the near future. You can get it to her later."

Booth sat back down onto the couch knowing that there was no way he was going to get out of Sweets's office any time soon. "What can I do for ya, Sweets?"

"I would like to discuss your brain scans," Sweets stated. "The ones taken before and after your coma."

"What about 'em, Sweets?" Booth asked. "We already talked about that before. What do you want now?"

"You obviously are still in love with Dr. Brennan. That has not changed," Sweets stated. "Do you fear that one day, your brain will recover from that dream you had, and one day you will wake up and no longer be in love with Dr. Brennan? Have you considered what that would do to her, in light of this new change in your relationship?"

"Dammit, Sweets!" Booth exclaimed. "I said this once, and I'll say it again. That coma did not _make_ me fall in love with Bones. I've always been in love with her. It's just that, until that dream, I wasn't completely aware of those feelings. They'd been so engrained in my being that it took the damn dream to make me realize what was in front of me all along. I embraced my feelings instead of pushing them away in denial. The awareness, that's what changed in those damn brain scans!"

"Okay," Sweets said. "That is certainly a logical argument."

"It's not an _argument_. It's the truth."

"Okay, okay, I believe you," Sweets said. "Your relationship...it's everything you hoped it would be?"

"Absolutely," Booth smiled to himself. "Bones is...she's everything. I want everything with her. I want her to be the one I wake up next to every day. The one I come home to at night. I want a family with her."

"That's really good, Agent Booth," Sweets stated. "I hope that all works out for you."

"You know," Booth said, not quite believing that he was about to confess this secret to the kid. "I bought a ring."

"You did?" Sweets was surprised. Everyone knew what Dr. Brennan thought about marriage. But then again, if anyone could change her mind, it'd be Agent Booth.

"Yeah, I got it the day after we officially started our relationship," Booth explained. Booth smiled and laughed to himself. "I was walking down the street and saw this jewelry store. I didn't really want to go in, but, I don't know, something made me. So I went in and looked around. I didn't expect to find anything, but this ring, well, it just sorta caught my eye. Before I knew what was happening, I was at the register paying for it."

"Are you going to ask Dr. Brennan to marry you?"

"One day, yeah," Booth answered. "But not anytime soon. This is all new. I don't want to scare her off. But, yeah. Definitely one day."

oOo

On the other side of the door stood a very shocked Brennan. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop. She had just came back to get the file she had forgotten. When she got back to Sweets's office, she heard Booth talking loudly about his brain scans. Brennan was curious, so she listened quietly from the other side of the door, searching for the right time to make her presence known. She hadn't found the right time. Now, only 4 words were repeating in her mind. _I bought a ring. I bought a ring_. He bought a ring. She hadn't been prepared for that.

**AN: Oh, oh...what's gonna happen now?**


	27. Chapter 27

**AN: NEW CHAPTER! I'm so sorry, this would've been posted a week ago, but I couldn't bring myself to come back to it and edit...**

Chapter 27:

_~Previously on The Death in the Family...~_

On the other side of the door stood a very shocked Brennan. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop. She had just came back to get the file she had forgotten. When she got back to Sweets's office, she heard Booth talking loudly about his brain scans. Brennan was curious, so she listened quietly from the other side of the door, searching for the right time to make her presence known. She hadn't found the right time. Now, only 4 words were repeating in her mind. _I bought a ring. I bought a ring._ He bought a ring. She hadn't been prepared for that.

oOo

Brennan stood frozen in front of the door, the words Booth had said replaying themselves over and over in her mind. She had heard Booth and Sweets's conversation in its entirety, but those four little words jumped to the forefront of her mind and became the only thing she could focus on. She knew that Booth loved her, there wasn't a doubt in her mind about that fact. What scared her was that he was intending to propose to her. Sure, it might not be today, or even next week, but it would happen eventually.

Conflicting emotions flooded her system and kept her frozen in her position near the door. She felt comforted in the fact that he would like to spend the rest of his life with her, yet felt completely undeserving of his love. Never before had she imagined herself getting married, but, since beginning her relationship with Booth, she had begun to consider the idea as a possibility. Knowing that he was on the same page brought her some level of comfort. But what scared her was the fact that the idea of marriage was no longer an abstract idea that she was only just beginning to consider. No, she was terrified by how rapidly things were changing. To top it all off, she was _actually okay_ with that change. And that frightened her more than anything.

Hearing movement directly on the other side of the door startled Brennan out of her fear-induced catatonia. Before anyone could catch her there listening, she sharply turned on her heal and made a mad dash down the stairs and through the front door of the Hoover.

Brennan aimlessly walked around for a few minutes, eventually finding herself in the parking garage of the Hoover building. She looked around for a moment before remembering that she didn't have her car. Booth had driven her there that morning. She made her way back out to the street, choosing to take the long walk back to the Jeffersonian in favor of hailing a cab. The fresh air and time by herself would give her an opportunity to process everything that had just occurred, everything she had just overheard.

About two hours later, Brennan found herself walking into the lab, a determined look on her face. She marched into her office, threw her coat and purse onto her desk, pulled on her blue lab coat, and marched right back out of her office and onto the platform. "Mr. Nigel-Murry, Mr. Bray, what have we got so far? Anything new?"

"Absolutely nothing," Vincent replied, disappointment laced thickly on his voice.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Brennan, but I'm really not sure we're going to get anything new from the victims' bones."

Brennan sighed. "I fear that you may be correct, Mr. Bray." She walked over the the autopsy table holding Mikayla Cooper's bones. "I would like both of you to take a secondary look at these to see if you could find any damage from the knife that was used to torture Ms. Cooper. Please inform me if you find anything." Without waiting for a response, she walked down the stairs of the platform and made her way to limbo, where she buried herself in the ancient, unidentified remains until late in the night, or rather the early hours of the morning.

oOo

"Mmmm...wake up," Morgan mumbled in her sleep-induced state. When the man laying next to her made no attempt to get out of the bed to shut off the annoying beeping of the alarm clock, Morgan tried waking him again by kicking him in the leg and swatting at his arm. "Vincent, you gotta get up!" Again there was no movement. _'Go figure, he sleeps like a log,'_ Morgan thought as she unwrapped herself from the tangled mess of blankets to go to the opposite side of the room and smash the alarm clock to bits.

Once the incessant beeping was finally taken care of, Morgan walked back over to her twin sized bed. _'God, it's amazing how we fit in that,'_ Morgan thought as she looked at Vincent's resting form uncomfortably sprawled out across the bed. She giggled to herself and sat down next to Vincent, bringing her hand up to brush against his face. "Hey, you really gotta get up now." She gently woke him from his slumber.

"Is it morning already?" Vincent asked as he looked around to check the time. His eyes widened when he saw the remains of what used to be an alarm clock laying on Morgan's desk. "Hey, what happened to your clock?"

"Oh, don't worry about it," Morgan said, slightly embarrassed by her ever increasing habit of breaking alarm clocks. "I had a hard time getting the damn thing to shut up."

"Yes, I see," Vincent nodded in agreement. "The only rational thing to do would be to beat it into submission. Perhaps next time you should try unplugging it from the wall, or even taking out the batteries."

She beamed a bright smile towards Vincent. "Oh shut up! The damn clock was set for _you_ anyways. If ya would've woken up like ya were supposed to, we wouldn't have this problem, now would we?"

"You are correct," Vincent conceded. "It is completely my fault. Perhaps I should be the one to purchase a replacement."

"There might just be hope for you yet," Morgan stated. She leaned in to wake him up properly by giving him a good morning kiss.

"That was a rather pleasant way to wake up," Vincent said as the need for air became so great he was forced to pull away.

"I can think of a few better ways," Morgan replied. "And the way your cute English accent is twice as thick when you are just waking up makes it that much harder to resist following through with those other ways."

"Well, if I am correct then there is no one stopping you," Vincent observed as he guided her down for another passionate kiss.

"We can't," Morgan said in between kisses. "You gotta get ready to head into the lab. Dr. Brennan wanted you to get there at like five this morning. You should get ready so you don't keep her waiting." Morgan stood up to allow Vincent to be able to climb out of the bed. Morgan sat back down on the bed as Vincent walked around the room to stretch out.

He stopped in front of the pile of luggage laid open in front of Morgan's closet. "I can't believe you're leaving today. Would it be wrong of me to ask you to stay?"

"No, that's not wrong of you," Morgan replied. She stood up and walked towards Vincent so that she was standing only inches from him. "Of course, even if you did, it wouldn't make a bit of difference. I'm going to Maine to present my paper at a conference. I'll only be gone a few days."

"A week is far longer than a few days," Vincent argued, wrapping his arms around her waist. He looked down at her with sad eyes and his bottom lip stuck out in a childish pout.

"Stop that," Morgan laughed. "Those puppy dog eyes aren't gonna work on me, mister." She stood on her tip toes to place a quick kiss onto his lips. "I won't be gone long. This is a big deal, and I need to do this."

"I know, and I'm very proud of you." He leaned down to take possession of her lips once again. The kiss turned passionate instantly. Morgan melted completely into his arms as he trailed his lips across her cheek to a sensitive spot just below her ear. He stopped his kisses for a moment to whisper huskily into her ear. "You know, Dr. Brennan probably wouldn't mind if I showed up a little late."

"I could probably convince her to go easy on ya," Morgan replied. "If I speak her language and just rationally explain what happened, I'm sure she wouldn't care that you're late."

"Uh huh," Vincent replied as he pushed Morgan backwards until they landed softly onto the bed.

oOo

A few hours later, Morgan awoke for the second time that day, only this time she was alone in a cold bed. She gingerly sat up, clutching the blankets to her chest. She looked around her empty bedroom until her eyes landed on her pile of opened suitcases that sat in front of her closet. She inwardly laughed to herself as she remembered watching Vincent rushing around the room-and tripping over the suitcases at least 3 times after their passionate 'goodbye' activities. He was not only nervous that his late arrival to the Jeffersonian would upset his mentor, but he was reluctant to let Morgan out of his sight, knowing that it would be about a week until he saw her again. Vincent inquired several times as to whether or not she had a ride to the airport, to which she replied that she was to meet Tyrell at his dorm at 9 AM and he would drive her to the airport for her 11:30 AM flight.

Thinking about the time reminded her of the fact that she hadn't set her alarm clock, which was laying broken on the other side of the room. _'Shit,'_ she thought, _'I hope I still have enough time to make my flight. What the hell time is it anyways?'_ She jumped up from the bed and frantically began to search for her cell phone. She found it laying under a pile of clothes in her bathroom. Seeing that it was already 8:43 AM, she hurriedly jumped into the shower. She quickly went through her morning rituals, and then proceeded to finish packing her bags. Just as she was about to zipper up her final bag, her cell phone rang.

"Hello?" she said as she flipped open the phone

_"Hey there, you," Vincent's voice greeted her through the receiver. "You on your way to the airport yet?"_

She pulled the phone away from her ear to check the time. It was five after nine. "Yep, Ty and I just left a few minutes ago." She hated lying, but she didn't need him worrying about whether or not she'd make her flight. She picked up her bags and began carrying them down the stairs to sit near the door.

_"That's good," Vincent replied. "I was worried you'd oversleep due to your assault on that poor, innocent alarm clock."_

"Haha...very funny," Morgan said as she rolled her eyes.

_"Did you know that the first fully functioning, small bedside alarm clock was invented in 1876, and was patented by Seth E. Thomas? It was originally thought to have been invented in 1787 by Levi Hutchins. His alarm clock was defective as it would only ring at 4 AM, every morning. Coincidentally, rumor has it that he was murdered by his wife at 4:05 AM one cold, New England morning."_

"Very interesting," Morgan stated. "Haha, his wife must've been really annoyed by that damn clock in order to kill her husband over it. Don't worry though, I'd never do that to you. Although, I may murder a few more alarm clocks in my lifetime." Morgan laughed as she brought her last suitcase down the stairs. She was about to make one final sweep to ensure that she packed everything she needed when there was a knock on the door.

_"Hey, what was that noise?" Vincent inquired._

"Um...it's nothing," Morgan said. It was after nine, so she assumed that it was Tyrell at the door, wondering what was taking so long. She put her phone on mute as she yelled "Hey, Ty! I'll be ready in a minute!" The knocking continued, however. She took her phone off of mute and addressed Vincent. "Hey, I gotta go. There's someone knocking on my door."

_"How can there be a knock on your door if you're already in the car driving?"_

Morgan exhaled sharply before answering. "Vincent, relax. I'll make it there on time." She rolled her eyes at his unnecessary concern. The knocking at the door continued, growing slightly louder and more persistent. "Listen, I don't know if I'll have much time to call ya when I'm in Maine, but I'll try. I gotta go, love ya!" She took the phone from her ear and pressed the 'end call' button, hearing Vincent's _'I love you'_ muffled by the continued sounds of knocking from her door. "I'm coming, Ty. Jeez, ya don't gotta be so impatient!" She shook her head in amusement as she made her way to the door, opening to it reveal the man waiting on the other side.


	28. Chapter 28

**AN: Here it is! Beginning of this chapter sucks, middle is full of Angela/Hodgins/Vincent goodness (there's really no point for this scene it's just a filler), and the end...well...you'll see...Oy, this was so hard to write. It wasn't by far the most difficult (that little scene comes later), but this was definitely towards the top of the list. Top 3 definitely! Enjoy!**

Chapter 28:

Booth arrived at the lab at about 8 AM. He hadn't seen Brennan since their session with Sweets the previous day. He had gotten busy getting ready for the press conference that would be later that morning. He called Brennan late last night to make sure that she had gone home, but to his disappointment she had decided to work late in the lab.

So here he was, walking into Brennan's office to find her sound asleep on the couch with files spread out around her. He stood in the doorway and took in her appearance. She was curled up in what had to be an uncomfortable position on the couch. Her hair was sprawled out in every direction, a small tendril of her auburn hair crossed in front of her face and clung to her mouth, which hung slightly open as she was took deep, steady breaths. Every so often a quiet snore would break through the silence. He knew he should let her get some rest, so, instead of waking her up, he walked over to the couch and draped the tiny blanket that normally rested on the back of the couch over her sleeping body.

"Booth?" Brennan asked as she slowly opened her eyes to see the man trying to tip toe his way out of the office.

He turned around to look at her face. "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's fine," Brennan replied, avoiding eye contact. She sat up and threw the blanket onto the arm of the couch, and then she moved her attention to the files that were scattered around her. "I should be working anyways."

Booth shook his head. "You work too much, Bones. How late were you up til?"

"I don't remember," Brennan lied, not allowing herself to look up at Booth. He'd be able to tell that she was preoccupied. It was safer to avoid eye contact all together. "It doesn't really matter anyway. Are you prepared for your press conference?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Booth answered. "I gotta be at the Hoover at 9, then it starts at 10. Cullen seems to think that we'll be fine. And then once this media circus is over, we'll be able to focus more of our energies on the case."

Brennan stood up from the couch and moved so she was standing in front of Booth. She still didn't look him in the eyes, choosing instead to look at the floor. "Good. We can't really afford to have the media distracting us any longer. And Cam keeps saying that the investors are becoming very uncomfortable with the negative portrayal the Jeffersonian has been receiving from the press."

"We'll get that all taken care of," Booth reassured. "Don't worry."

"Right," Brennan agreed. She crossed her arms over her chest. She shifted her gaze up so she was looking at a spot just over his shoulders "Well, you should probably get going. You wouldn't want to be late now, would you?"

"Yeah," Booth said. He moved closer to Brennan and placed his hands on her waist. "Is everything okay, Bones? You seem a bit off today."

Brennan nodded her head. "Everything is fine, Booth. I'm just tired, I guess. You really should get going, you know."

"I know," Booth replied. He leaned in to place a kiss on her lips.

It was short and sweet, but ended just as quick as it began when Brennan pulled back to look him in the eye for the first time this morning. "I love you, Booth."

"I love you too, Bones." Booth replied, unsure as to why Brennan was behaving so strangely. He placed another quick kiss to her lips before making his way back out of the lab.

oOo

"Hey there, Romeo. Why the long face?" Angela asked as she bounced up the platform to join the rest of the team. Brennan, Cam, and Hodgins were talking to each other while Vincent was staring off into space with his head resting on his hand.

Vincent sighed and then turned his attention to Angela. "I just got off the phone with Morgan..."

"Ah, I see," Angela nodded. "You're sad because she's leaving for a week."

Vincent nodded his head. "She informed me that she was unsure if she would have time to call me while she's in Maine."

Hodgins sucked in a deep breath of air. "Oooh, sorry man! That's not good. Sounds like she's getting ready to toss you to the side."

The three women looked towards Hodgins with confusion written on their faces. Vincent looked about ready to cry. "Why...why do you say that, Dr. Hodgins?"

Angela shot Hodgins a glare and then answered. "Because he's a complete idiot, that's why."

"And he doesn't know what he's talking about," Cam chimed in. "Morgan is completely in love with you. She doesn't want to dump you."

"Like hell she doesn't," Hodgins interjected with an amused smile on his face. "She's going to Maine to escape the poor guy. Doesn't get any clearer than that. Tough luck, man."

"Actually, she'll be in Maine presenting a philosophical paper about how celtic art during the Middle Ages reflected the culture's beliefs and mythologies to a conference," Brennan stated. "There is no evidence to indicate that she wishes to end her relationship with Vincent."

"She said she wasn't gonna make time to call him the next week," Hodgins argued. "That sends a pretty clear message."

"No. I believe Vincent said that Morgan told him she didn't know if she'd have the time to call," Brennan objected. "Not that she didn't have the inclination to call. Conferences such as the one she'll be attending can be comprised of very hectic schedules. It comes as no surprise that she'd have very little free time."

"I suppose you're correct, Dr. Brennan," Vincent said.

"Don't listen to Dr. Hodgins," Cam stated. "He's just trying to cause trouble."

Vincent nodded his head. "I am gonna miss her, though."

"Oh, quit moping around," Hodgins quipped. "It's only been a few hours. It's time to man-up."

"Hodgins!" Angela scolded. She turned to look at Vincent. She fumbled with her words trying to say the right thing. "Don't...Hodgins...well, Hodgins is an idiot. Don't listen to him just because he's the only other man in the lab right now."

Vincent nodded and waited for her to continue.

"I know it's tough. You're young and in love. It's the first time you really have to deal with being separated from her. But you know, it's only a week. Then she'll come back, give you a little lovin'..." Angela wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "...and when all is said and done, you've just overcome your first obstacle. Until then, just bury yourself in your work. That'll pass the time."

"Angela is correct," Brennan stated. "I find it very easy to deal with things when I have immersed myself in my work. I find it very reassuring."

Ooo

_~Previously on The Death in the Family~_

_"I'm coming, Ty. Jeez, ya don't gotta be so impatient!" She shook her head in amusement as she made her way to the door, opening to it reveal the man waiting on the other side._

"Oh...hey?" Morgan said, confused as to what this man was doing standing in front of the door to her her dorm. There certainly wasn't any reason for him to even be in this part of campus, let alone standing outside of her room. She stayed slightly guarded and kept the door between him and herself as a barrier. "Is there something I can help ya with?"

The man was flustered. "Well...you see...I was visiting a friend in the hospital, which is just across the way...and...well...anyways I was just trying to leave and...well...my car won't start. I remembered that someone had told me you lived here...and...well...can I borrow your phone to call for a tow?"

Morgan smiled at him and opened the door wider as an invitation for him to come inside. "Sure thing." She reached into her pocket, pulled out her cell phone, and handed it to him.

He took the phone from her hands, daring to let blush rise to his face in embarrassment, only to further his non-threatening façade.

_Little did she know that it was all an act. He couldn't wait to get his hands on this one. Sure, he'd change the way in which he usually dealt with women in order to fulfill the desires that this one inflamed. It would be personal. Not to him, really. But to the man and woman who were becoming increasingly annoying with their little 'investigation' that aimed to put him behind bars for the rest of his life. He hadn't intended for Morgan to become one of his women. He actually kind of liked her. She was sweet, innocent, yet open to the idea that she was, in fact, human. Not an infallible goddess created by the heavens as most of the other women seemed to believe. No, he liked her. Which meant that he needed to step up his game._

He gave her a charming smile. "Thanks, kiddo."

"Yeah, no problem," she replied.

She finally closed the door, much to his relief. He flipped open the phone and pretended to dial a number. He looked over towards the bags piled near the door and he allowed his eyes to widen in mock shock. "Oh God, I completely forgot. You're supposed to be headed up to Maine, aren't you?"

"Yeah," she smiled at him. "Don't worry about it though. I'm only a few minutes late. No big deal. They're not gonna miss me." She rolled her eyes at her lame joke and her smile grew slightly wider.

He nodded, extremely pleased with her previous statement. "Thanks again for letting me use this." He indicated that he was referring to the phone, and then continued to listen to the silence emanating from it. After enough time had passed, he engaged in a polite 'conversation' with the person he was supposedly talking to on the phone. He went through all the motions of an actual conversation; the smiling, nodding, pausing in all the right places. He said his thanks and then handed the phone back to Morgan. "They said they'll be here in 10 minutes."

"Oh great!" Morgan said. "Look, I'd volunteer to wait with ya, but I was supposed to leave...um..." she looked at the clock on her cell..."about 30 minutes ago."

"Yeah, don't worry about it," he replied. "Hey, let me help you carry out your bags." He threw her a smile that he knew was irresistible. All the women told him so and swooned at him every time he decided to pull out that smile.

"That'd be great thanks," Morgan admitted. She turned her back to him and began to walk towards her suitcases. That was her first mistake.

As soon as she had let her guard down enough to turn away from him, he pounced into action. He jumped after her, tackling her to the ground. She let out a scream of surprise, which only encouraged him on further. _Oh how he enjoyed it when they screamed._ But he had to be mindful of the noise they were making. It was, after all, a dormitory. People lived on the other side of these paper thin walls. He climbed on top of her to restrict her movements and placed his hand over her mouth to muffle the sounds of her screams. She fought back. She fought back harder than all of the others. He found that he quite enjoyed the struggle. _Perhaps he'd even allow for a little game of cat and mouse before he granted himself full control over her._

She was trapped. Trapped beneath him and struggling to get free. She had frozen the moment he climbed on top of her, but she recovered quickly. She began twisting and turning, trying to free herself from this man's tight hold on her body. But it seemed that her struggled only served to increase his power and enjoyment. His arousal. Yes, she had begun to feel his growing arousal the minute he climbed on top of her. Perhaps she could use that to her advantage, should she ever get enough room to move.

She bit down, hard, on the hand he had placed over her mouth. He stumbled back in shock and pain. This allowed her enough room to wiggle out from beneath him. The minute she stood up, she began to get dizzy. Her head was pounding from when she collided with the floor. It protested her every movement, but the adrenaline she secreted in her fight for survival numbed the pain enough for her to land a nice hard kick to his groin.

He crumpled to the floor in pain and watched as Morgan stumbled around the apartment. He was blocking the front door, leaving her with two other options. Go upstairs like all the dumb women who get themselves killed in horror movies. Or run out the back door. The choice was obvious.

The pulsating pain in her head increased with every step she took. She tried not to let the pain, the dizziness, prevent her from escaping. Her body was screaming at her to lay down and rest, but her mind was reminding her that she needed to run. Run as far as possible and hide. She no longer could remember why she needed to run, only that it was necessary for her survival. She was halfway to the back door when she noticed the blood. It was hot on her face, dripping from some unknown point of origin on her head. She tasted the rusty, metallic red liquid as it dripped down her face and past her lips. She felt the sting in her eyes, both from pain and from the bloody trails that dripped off her eyelashes and into her eyes, effectively blurring her vision.

She stumbled into the table next to the couch. She heard a faint crash, the breaking of glass as it fell onto the floor. She continued her journey to the glass doors at the back of the room, stumbling into more furniture along the way. She heard the crunching of glass from behind her, and she tried to pick up her pace.

When she finally got to the door, she grabbed the handle and pulled. It didn't open. A sob escaped from deep within her throat as she felt her hope being washed away with the tears she didn't realize she had been crying. She pulled again. It didn't budge. She knew the door was locked, but the pain that was numbing her mind made her unable to remember how to do something as simple as unlocking the door. Another sob escaped as she began to hit the glass door in frustration.

She turned around, resting her back on the door as she searched for other options. None came to mind. The man was walking towards her, a sick, sadistic smile on his face. He seemed calm, in complete control of his actions. That had been Morgan's second mistake. She allowed herself to panic, allowed the pain to affect her judgement. Her head was pounding, her knees were weak. She was taking quick, shaky breaths. She had no escape. She was too weak to fight. She didn't have the strength to run. Her knees gave out beneath her as she slid to the floor, letting the blackness take over.

**AN: You hate me. I know it. So that's why I have braced myself for your reactions. Go ahead...throw the rotten tomatoes! I can take it, I swear...*~*{winces and shrinks into myself}*~*...I'm sorry! But make sure you save some of those tomatoes for later chapters. You may or may not need them...*~*{peeks over the wall I'm hiding behind}..."Are we done yet?"{Gets hit with a final tomato}..."Guess not"...{shrinks back into the hole I have dug myself into}*~***


	29. Chapter 29

**AN: Ah, you people are breaking my heart here! For those of ya who are still reading (and adding me to story alert/favorite)...thank you so much! I love that y'all have decided to stick with me on this one! And I'm sorry it's been a little over a week since I've updated. I had some friends come in from out of state to visit me, so I wasn't chillin' out by my computer. So to make up for it, I have posted this chapter today, and there will be another update tomorrow before I head up to a taping in LA! :D**

Chapter 29:

The lights were flashing bright, burning into his retinas as he walked onto the stage and towards the podium. The room was noisy, filled with the unanswered questions of the curious reporters who surrounded the stage. Director Cullen had just gotten done with his press statement, and he introduced to the audience the lead investigator of the Georgetown case: Special Agent in Charge Seeley Booth.

As soon as Booth stepped in front of the podium, a million questions were shouted at him. He raised his hand as a signal for the reporters to remain silent. "As the Special Agent in charge of this investigation, I can assure you that we have our best field agents and lab technicians in play. We are using all of the resources available through our contacts with the Jeffersonian Institute. Dr. Camille Saroyan is leading the Jeffersonian staff. She was the chief coroner of New York for two years. We have been using the expertise of Dr. Temperance Brennan, who is a world renowned forensic anthropologist. Dr. Saroyan and Dr. Brennan are using the brightest forensic team in the nation to help us catch this sadistic murderer."

Booth nervously looked around the room at the many faces doubting the truth and sincerity of his words. "Any claims made against the team at the Jeffersonian that states or implies that they are incompetent are completely false."

Disbelieving outbursts from the reporters exploded throughout the room. Booth gave a look of frustration to his boss before continuing with his statement.

"They are, in fact, the best in the nation, and they are doing everything they can to help us track this guy down and prevent another murder from occurring. Most members of the team have been working a minimum of 15 hour days since this was first brought to their attention."

He looked around at the hundreds of reporters standing before him, knowing he'd regret his next statement. "With that said, I'd like to address any questions or concerns that you may have."

All at once, every journalist in the building started shouting their questions. Booth called on the pretty blonde journalist who chose to raise her hand instead of shouting her questions like her peers.

She flipped through the pages of her notebook, turning to an empty page with her pen poised and ready to take notes. "Hannah Burley, Washington Post. What can you tell us about the victims?"

Booth gave her a charm smile before answering. "So far, there have been three victims. All were students attending Georgetown University, either the undergraduate or graduate program. They were all taken late at night, usually after attending a party."

"What are you doing about security at the university?" Hannah questioned as she scribbled notes into her notebook. When she didn't receive an immediate reply, she lifted her head up to look into Booth's eyes. "Surely you must be doing something to protect the students..."

Pleased that he had the reporter's full attention, he decided to continue. "Local police have increase their patrols in the surrounding area. Campus police have been placed on high alert. Students have been advised not to go anywhere alone."

Hannah studied him for a moment, contemplating her next question. "Are there any more reports of missing students?"

"As of now, no. No more students have been reported missing." Booth smiled at her and began to move on to another reporter's questions. However, Hannah interrupted before the next journalist could ask his question.

"So far, the FBI has not released a list of suspects. Do you have any suspects at all?" She raised one of her eyebrows, demanding an answer from him.

"We have a strong list of suspects, of whom we are conducting a thorough investigation. However, for obvious reasons we will not be releasing the names of said suspects."

"A strong list of suspects?" Hannah questioned. "What does that even mean...like...three solid suspects? Or perhaps ten, or even twenty, people who can be vaguely linked to the victims?"

Booth took a deep breath in an effort to ease some of the tension that was building as a direct result of this woman's incessant questions. "Our main suspect pool is small. However, we are looking at other persons of interest as well."

"What can you tell us about a Mister...," she looked down at her notepad to double check her research, "...a Mr. Tristian Howards? Seeing as he had a relationship with the first victim, Ms. Ames, he must be your prime suspect, no?"

Booth was stunned, and somewhat impressed, by the level of information this woman seemed to have about his investigation. "Mr. Howards is a person of interest, yes. But I cannot go into any more detail on that."

"And a..." she checked her notes again, "Mr. Tyrell Jones. Big basketball star, but he's also been linked to the victims as well, has he not?"

"We will not be making anymore comments about our suspect pool," Cullen stepped in. "Are there any more questions or concerns that we can address?

Booth spent the rest of the hour answering the reporters' questions to the best of his ability and with as much honesty as he was allowed, given the circumstances surrounding the on-going investigation.

oOo

"Wow!" Cam exclaimed as she turned off the television. She was stunned at the extent of scrutiny the FBI and Jeffersonian were experiencing as a result of this case. "That was painful to watch."

"Yeah, no kidding!" Angela said. "Poor Booth! I can't even begin to imagine having to go up there and answer all those questions."

"Booth did a satisfactory job given the circumstances," Brennan observed, turning away from the group to resume working on the remains laid out on the autopsy table. "Anybody would have found difficulty evading the more detailed questions, especially taking into consideration the tenacity of some of the reporters."

"Yeah, did you see how hot that blonde was?" Hodgins piped in. He let out a small laugh and whistled. Angela glared at him and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Hey, I can look. It's not like I'm acting on anything, right?"

"Uh huh..." Angela sighed. She turned to look at her best friend. "She was hot though, even I have to admit that."

"Yes, her features do fall nicely into the golden ratio," Brennan admitted, a pang of jealously coursed through her for reasons she couldn't quite understand.

"She was totally checking Booth out too, ya know," Angela informed the group. Brennan looked up from the remains for a minute before quickly refocusing on the job in front of her. Angela didn't miss the look of anger that flashed across her best friend's face.

Cam didn't miss that look either. "Nothing to worry about Dr. Brennan. Booth loves you, only you. He's too smart to let some blonde reporter use him to get intimate details about a case."

"Yeah, he's not stupid enough to fall for some reporter's attempts to use sex as a way to get more information for a story," Angela agreed. "Especially not when he wants to spend the rest of his life with you, Bren."

Brennan dropped the bone she had been studying. Tears began to sting her eyes, so she hid her face away from the prying eyes of her co-workers.

"Is everything okay, Dr. Brennan?" Cam asked, worried about her best employee.

Hodgins walked up beside his friend. "Yeah, Dr. B. It's not like you to be so careless with human remains."

"Sweetie-" Angela began before she was interrupted.

"I'll be in my office," Brennan interrupted. She was able to keep control over her emotions long enough to make it into her office, lock the door, and shut the blinds.

"Well...that was...strange," Angela said as she looked towards her best friend's office.

oOo

Later that afternoon Booth walked into the Jeffersonian. He walked up to the team who were standing on the platform conversing with each other.

Hodgins spotted Booth first. "Hey there, G-Man! That sure was some press conference."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Booth grumbled. "God, I hate reporters."

"Even that sexy blonde one?" Angela inquired with a spark in her eye. She took a step closer to Booth. "I mean, she was practically undressing you with her eyes. Not to mention the drool."

"She's not exaggerating on that one, Seeley," Cam added. "Even Dr. Brennan picked up on the sexual tension."

"Thanks, _Camille_," Booth replied. "And for the record, the blonde one was the most annoying reporter there!" Booth looked around the platform, finally noticing that someone was missing. "Where is Bones, anyway?"

Angela and Cam shared a look before Angela spoke up. "Well...um...you see..."

"Spit it out, Angela," Booth said. "Where is she?"

"She locked herself in her office about 5 hours ago," Hodgins stated. "Hasn't come out since your press conference ended."

"What!" Booth exclaimed. "Is this because of Hannah, or whatever her name was?"

"Sort of," Angela said. "She was definitely upset about that."

"What do you mean _sort of_? What else happened?" Booth demanded.

"Nothing happened, Seeley," Cam answered. "We were reassuring her about how much you love her, and she just sort of freaked out."

"Actually, Dr. Brennan has been acting strangely since yesterday," Vincent stated as he walked up the steps of the platform. "She locked herself up in limbo most of yesterday afternoon and evening. She was still there when I left late last night. And she was in her office when I arrived early this morning. I'm pretty sure she didn't go home."

"Did something happen between the two of you, Booth?" Angela asked.

Booth shook his head. "No, I don't think so. She was acting a little strange when I got here this morning, but I just figured she was overly tired."

"I think you should take her home, Seeley," Cam said. "Get her out of the lab for the night. I think it'll do her some good."

"Yeah, you're right," Booth replied. "Keep me updated though if anything else comes up about the case."

"Sure thing, G-Man," Hodgins agreed.

Booth walked down the steps and made his way towards Brennan's office. He stood near the door for a moment to listen for any unusual sounds. Content with the fact that at least she wasn't crying, he knocked on the door. "Bones? Hey, Bones, open up."

A few moments later, Brennan unlocked the door to her office. She opened the door, stepped to the side, and allowed Booth to enter. She closed the door and leaned against it, looking at Booth.

He let his eyes wander over her, looking for signs of distress. He found nothing to be concerned about. Standing in front of him was his Bones; his always confident, strong, independent, and sexy-as-hell partner.

Noticing his questioning gaze, she decided to speak up first. "Is there something wrong, Booth?"

"No, nothing's wrong," he gulped. "I was just making sure everything was okay with you. Everyone seems worried."

Brennan shook her head. "Nope, everything is fine." She pushed herself from the door and took a few steps closer to him. She motioned with her hands for him to look her over. "See? Everything's fine."

He continued to let his eyes wander over her body. Something was different about her. Something had changed in the past couple of days. Even since he had seen her this morning. She just seemed _different_ in some way.

"Look at me, Booth," Brennan said. She took a few more steps in his direction. "Trust me when I say that nothing is wrong."

"I do trust you, Bones."

"Good," she smiled as she closed the gap between them and pulled him into an intoxicating kiss.

He let his hands rest on her waist and pulled her closer to him. He had panicked, letting himself believe that there was a problem between them, letting himself believe that some blonde reporter somehow was the cause of that problem between them. He released his fears as he allowed himself to lose himself in the caress her warm, soft lips.

"You know," Booth began as he slightly pulled away from her, "Cam told me that I should take you home. Let you have the rest of the night off."

"You're suggesting we leave here to go have intercourse?" Brennan clarified as she pulled him in for another kiss.

Booth moaned in approval. "Damn straight, Bones. Just don't call it that."

"What? Intercourse? It's an accurate term to describe the activities in which we'll be participating." She pulled back from him enough to look into his eyes. He saw a glimmer of playfulness in her eyes and a small grin on her lips. "Is there a better term with which you'd like to describe it?"

"Anything that doesn't make it sound clinical," Booth laughed. "Although your squint speak is very, _very,_ sexy."

She smiled and freed herself from his grasp. "Let me just pack up my things." She turned away from him and smiled to herself, knowing that she was about to get exactly what she wanted, what she needed. _'To hell with Dr. Sweets and his theories,'_ she allowed herself to think to herself.

He watched her move confidently about the office as she packed up her things. She grabbed her laptop, a few case files, her coat, and purse. She turned around a smiled at him. "You ready?"

"Sure am."

oOo

They arrived at Brennan's apartment in record time. Booth broke several laws as he drove through the city in a rush to get to her apartment. She barely managed to unlock the apartment door before he had pulled her inside, closed it, and had her pressed up against it.

Brennan moaned as she allowed Booth to lift her up so she could wrap her legs around him. Booth moved his lips from hers and began a trail down her neck, over her collar bone, and down to the top of her breasts. He began to unbutton her blouse as she worked on loosening his tie. Once she was able to lift the tie over his head, she worked on freeing his skin from the confines of his suit jacket and shirt.

He pulled he blouse off of her body, revealing a lacy, black bra. He groaned in approval as he brought his lips down to trace the edge of her bra. He continued to tease her as he lifted her from the door and carried her to the dining room table. He quickly freed her from her jeans before moving onto the table and hovering over her and letting his hands wander over her body, teasing her with what was to come.

"Please, Booth," Brennan's breathless voice pleaded. "Please, I need this. I need you so much it's not healthy."

Her words triggered something in his mind that made him stop immediately. _'And it's not healthy. Sex can't, and shouldn't, be the answer to your problems.'_ Sweets's words rang in his ears.

"Booth? Booth, what's wrong?" Brennan's concerned voice brought him back to the present. She sat up and looked at him with worried eyes. "Booth?"

"What are we doing, Bones?" Booth questioned. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"What? No!" Brennan stated too quickly. "Why would you think that?"

"I think Sweets is right." Booth locked his eyes with Brennan's confused ones.

"Sweets?" Brennan inquired. "You're seriously thinking about Sweets. _Now?_"

"Something is bothering you, Bones. I need for you to talk to me about it," Booth explained. "Everyone has been worried about you. You've been acting strangely. And then when I got back to your office, everything seemed to be back to normal. Things don't change that quickly."

"I already told you, Booth. Nothing's wrong. I'm fine." Her voice wavered as she tried to convince herself that she was being honest.

"Even if that is true, which I don't believe it is, I think we should still try Sweets's suggestion and take a two week break from sex."

"What? You can't be serious," Brennan protested. "He's just a kid. You said so yourself. What does he know anyway? He practices in inexact, inaccurate science. He doesn't know anything. Not about us."

"But I think he may be on to something here," Booth said, regretting his words. "I think it's worth a shot to try. I want us to work out, Bones. And if that means trying this as a way to improve our communication, then I think we should try it."

"Booth, please," she begged. "Ignore everything he said. I'm fine, we're fine, everything is fine. I need this. I need _you_. Please, let's just do this. It's not like we haven't done it before. Forget about Sweets and his inaccurate assessment of our relationship."

"I can't do that, Bones. I think he's right. And until you open up to me, tell me what's bothering you, then we're not gonna do this. No more using sex as a means to avoid our problems. We need to talk about things."

"Booth please," she pleaded. "You don't mean this. Please. I don't want to think, or talk. You're the one who's always telling me to feel. Please. Let me feel."

"Bones, don't make this any more difficult than it has to be."

"I'm not trying to. You're the one who doesn't want me," she argued. She was taking shallow, unsure breaths as she waited for him to argue with her.

"That's not true, Bones. I want you more than I've wanted anyone else. I love you. I want this to work out. I told you that. Which is why we can't do this. Not now. You need to open up to me, tell me what's wrong. Please, just talk to me."

"Get out!" she exclaimed, pushing him off of her and off the table. She jumped down and began pushing him towards the door. "Get out, now! I don't want you here." She bent down and picked up his suit jacket and threw it at him. "Leave."

He looked hurt, but he was unsure of what to do. Sweets was definitely right. She was using sex as a way to avoid dealing with things. He knew that she needed space. He just hoped that she wouldn't run. He looked in her eyes and saw the pain, fear, and sadness that was surely reflected in his own. He was defeated, knew it was pointless to argue with her right now. He grabbed his keys, which had fell onto the floor the minute they entered her apartment, and turned towards the door. "Bones-"

"No, not now, Booth. Leave. Please."

"When you're ready to talk, I'm here," he told her. He opened the door. "I'm always here for you, Bones. I love you." With that, he walked out of the apartment and down the hallway.

Brennan closed the door and collapsed onto the floor in a heap of tears and sobs. She reached for Booth's forgotten shirt and cradled it to her chest. She couldn't believe she had just acted so irrationally. She was scared. And she was letting that fear affect her relationship with Booth. But she wouldn't run. Because if she did, then the fear would win. No, she wouldn't run. She just needed a few days. A few days, alone, to clear her head. A few days to get back to her roots; her logical, rational self. Then everything would be fine. She was sure of it. She just hoped that she hadn't pushed Booth too far and ruined things completely.

**AN: Next up...Morgan! Will post tomorrow morning before I head up to LA :D**


	30. Chapter 30

**AN: A little bit of a shorter chapter...but it's about what's happening with Morgan. It's poorly written, but I think it'll be fine. Although, it is a little violent...sorry... :(**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, regardless of how much I wish I did...**

Chapter 30:

It was silent, eerily silent. Aside from hearing the blood pulsing through her veins, the only sound was the slight hum of something electronic, the origins of which were unknown. She was cold, numb. She was shivering uncontrollably as she tried to get some sort of bearing as to where she was.

_'What the hell happened?' _Morgan thought.

She felt a sharp, throbbing pain in her head. Her mind was foggy, memories of the past 24 hours were hazy. She remembered getting ready to go meet Tyrell. She was on the phone with Vincent when someone started knocking on her door. She remembered opening it and being surprised to see who was standing there. Only now, she couldn't remember who it was. The details were unclear and blurred together.

She brought her hand to her head, trying to relieve the pressure and pain. She felt the trail of dried blood on her face. As she traced her hand along the path of dried blood, she remembered being tackled, and trying to escape.

Morgan opened her eyes in a panic as the reality set in, and she tried to check out her surroundings. It was dark, black as night. While her eyes were adjusting, she used her hands to feel around. She was laying on a hard surface. Probably made of plastic. She was on her back, her body was folded in half so her knees were brought up to her chest. She didn't have much room to move around, which meant she was enclosed in a small space. Her hands came in contact with one of the walls of her prison. It was a cold, rough, uneven surface.

_'Freezer. I'm in a freezer,'_ her mind screamed at her. Now that she knew where she was, she could work on getting out.

She used her hands to press up on the door. It didn't give. She maneuvered herself so her feet were resting against the door. She used all of her strength and pushed up. Once again, the door didn't open. She started pounding on the walls of her prison and screamed for help. She heard the floorboard creak just outside of the freezer. She started hitting the walls with more force. "Help me!" Her cries echoed off the walls of the small container.

She heard the sounds of a lock clicking. A moment later, the door to the freezer opened. Morgan closed her eyes as the bright fluorescent lights and warm, fresh air assaulted her senses. She blinked a few times before looking up in terror at the man towering over her. "No," she sobbed, shaking her head from side to side. "No, no, no, no, NO!"

The man smiled as he looked down at his newest girl. He reached down to grab her arm, only to have it kicked away. "Feisty, are we?" He let his gaze wander her body in approval. He reached out and hit her in the face, reopening her previous wound. She cried out in pain. "Get up! And if you try anything...well, lets just say things can go one of two ways. One, things can be easy. You do as your told, I show you mercy. Two, you'll feel every bit of pain I can dish out. And I'll prolong it for months, until your body finally gives out on you."

This time, when he reached out to grab her arm, she let him. Her body was vibrating in pain. She didn't know how long she had been in the freezer, but she knew that she had stopped shivering a few minutes before her captor had let her out. She knew that wasn't a good sign. She was weak, numb, and in a tremendous amount of pain. She couldn't fight, even if she wanted to.

He pulled her out of the freezer and dragged her into a room that closely resembled a living room reminiscent of the 70's. There was one window, but it appeared to be sealed shut. It was caked with dirt and dust, completely obscuring the view of the outside world and barely letting any natural light into the room. The room was carpeted, a worn-down orange shag rug. There was a dirty, green couch leaning against the wall. The wallpaper was peeling down at the corners and at the seams. Across from the couch was a tiny wooden coffee table that was home to a few 'specialty' magazines. Up against the opposite wall was an old-fashioned turn dial television with rabbit ears on top.

"Sit down," he ordered as he pushed her onto the couch. She let out a small cry of pain as she tripped over the table and landed awkwardly on the couch. He followed after her and grabbed her wrists. She struggled against him as he tied her arms together behind her back. Once he was done with her arms, he moved down to restrain her legs. When he was finished, she was uncomfortably laying down on the couch and facing the television.

He walked over to the television and turned it on. He grabbed a tape that was sitting on top of the TV, placed it into the VCR, and pressed play. "We're gonna watch your_ friends_ talk about how they're gonna catch me before anyone else gets hurt." He laughed evilly before continuing. "But really, what do they know anyways?"

He turned up the volume as far as it would go. After a few moments, the television finally warmed up enough to show a picture on the screen. A stage came into view as the picture sharpened on the was a podium up front, several chairs behind. Hanging behind them was the FBI official seal. The American flag was hanging to the right side of the stage. Standing on the floor in front of the stage were hundreds of reporters.

Morgan finally realized what this man was showing her. The press conference. Booth's press conference about the Georgetown case. She watched as the press conference began. She watched as Director Cullen gave his opening statement. And she watched with tears in her eyes as Booth walked across the stage and took his place before the podium.

The man walked back towards the couch, making a small detour to grab the scissors from a small desk that sat in the corner of the room. He sat down on the couch beside her, about even with her stomach. She shifted her body to allow as much space between his body and hers as possible.

She watched the man carefully as he placed the scissors so that they were sitting on top of the coffee table. He noticed her concerned look and said, "No need to worry about that, yet."

Her eyes widened in panic. He placed his hand on her face, causing her to flinch away at the contact. He ran his fingers across her cheekbone, down her jaw, and over her lips. He repeated the motion, caressing the delicate skin on her face. "Are you listening, dear? This will be the last time you'll get to hear any of your friends speak. You'd better listen carefully to what they have to say."

She tried to focus on the images, the voices, coming from the television.

_"They are, in fact, the best in the nation, and they are doing everything they can to help us_

_ track this guy down and prevent another murder from occurring."_

Her eyes were glued to the television. She watched as Booth talked about the case, as he answered the blonde reporter's questions.

_"Are there any more reports of missing students?"_

_"As of now, no. No more students have been reported missing."_

She closed her eyes in an attempt to conceal how much pain she was in. Not just physically, but emotionally. _They don't know. They don't know I'm missing. How could they. I don't even know how long I've been gone. Besides, they think I'm in Maine and won't have time to contact them for a week_. A sob escaped as she realized the gravity of the situation.

Her attacker voiced her fears out loud. "You hear that? They don't even realize that anybody is missing. Nobody is going to be searching for you. Nobody is going to rescue you. You're all mine, sweetheart."

He stopped caressing her face and moved his attention to other parts of her body. His hand wandered down her neck, over the swell of her breasts, across her abdomen, and down over her hip and thigh. He hooked his hand around her inner thigh, then moved back up again. He repeated this motion several times.

She cringed when she felt his dirty hands touching her body in intimate ways. She screamed "no," telling him to stop, but he only increased the pressure and fervor with which he explored. She tried hard to focus on other things, such as the television. She could still hear Booth's voice. But knowing that he was oblivious as to what was happening to her only brought more tears to her eyes._ No, Booth said it himself. The best team in the nation is searching for this guy. They're gonna find him. Even if they don't realize I'm missing, they're gonna find him in time. They'll save me._

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the man grab the scissors from its spot on the table.

"Relax," he soothed her as he brought the scissors down toward her body. She felt the cold metal as it made contact with her stomach. "This isn't meant to hurt you. I'm merely going to make things a little bit easier." He trailed the scissors through the thin fabric of her shirt, cutting it up the middle. She squirmed, attempting to stop him, but the scissors cut into her flesh. Once again, she cried out in pain. He continued, relishing in the pleasure he got from her screams and pleas to stop. When the shirt was cut to shreds, he tossed it aside and started working on her pants.

She struggled, landing a few soft blows against his body. He barely flinched at the contact. She was weak. Too weak to do any real damage.

"Wow, you're beautiful," he stated once he finished cutting her clothes off of her, leaving her in just her bra and underwear. He leaned down and painfully pressed his lips to hers.

She bit him in the lip, hard enough to draw blood. Once she knew he registered the pain, she kneed him in the groin.

"Bitch!" He choked out through the pain. She rolled off the couch and began to crawl away from him, searching for any way to escape. It was a difficult task, given that her hands and legs were still restrained. She didn't get far before she felt his hands in her hair, dragging her across the room. He didn't bring her back to the couch. Instead, he dragged her into the bathroom. He unceremoniously dumped her into the bathtub, and turned the hot water on as far as it would go.

The heat of the water shocked her still cold body. She whimpered as the scalding hot water burned her skin. She tried to climb out, but he pushed her back in. The tub was quickly filling with dangerously hot water. She struggled to get out, the pain was unbearable. He roughly grabbed at her hair and forced her entire body underwater. He pulled her up a few seconds later, though to her it felt like a lifetime. She was choking on water and trying to catch her breath. Before she could recover, he submerged her body once again.

When he allowed her up for air, she began pleading with him. "Let me out, please. Please let me out!" Her painful screams bounced off the walls. He forced her underwater once again. She felt the burning hot water enter her lungs. He pulled her up and allowed her to cough up the water she had inhaled. "I promise I won't run again. I won't try hurt ya anymore. I learned my lesson, I swear!" Tears were flowing freely from her eyes and mixing with the water that had turned red from the blood pouring out from the gaping wounds on her head and stomach.

He laughed at her cries and continued to force her head underwater. She was sobbing, in pain, and praying that it would all stop. She felt her body going numb, as she slipped into shock. Her vision was blurring and beginning to fade. She welcomed the darkness.


	31. Chapter 31

**AN: So, I originally had 3 versions of this chapter written...here's what I came up with (after a lot of editing and many difficult decisions). Hope it's not too OOC for anyone and that y'all are okay with the final result :D**

Chapter 31:

Immediately after their fight on Wednesday evening, Brennan went to go visit Zack. He was the most rational person she'd ever met, and she knew that he'd help her put things into perspective. They talked for a few hours, mostly catching up on what was happening at the lab. When the topic of Booth came up, she told him about overhearing what Booth had told Sweets about buying a ring and their subsequent fight earlier that night. She told him that since beginning her romantic relationship with Booth, she had somehow turned into an irrational mess. She talked about how that scared her, and about how she wanted to get back to her rational self.

"I understand how becoming irrational frightens you, but I don't quite understand what, in regards to your relationship with Agent Booth, scares you," Zack stated.

"He wants a future with me," Brennan said. "He wants to marry me. And I've always said that marriage is an archaic ritual that I don't believe in. I never used to believe in love. Booth has changed the core of everything I believe. That, in itself, should be scary. But it's not. I trust Booth. What scares me is that I'm okay with everything he wants."

"I still don't understand," Zack replied. "You trust Agent Booth. Why should you be scared."

Brennan shifted in her seat. "It's complicated. But the gist of it is that I'm okay with opening myself up for the possibility of getting hurt. I'm okay with giving him that kind of power over me."

"You know what I think, Dr. Brennan?"

Brennan shook her head and waited for him to continue.

"You love Agent Booth. I can see that now, even if I couldn't before. That's one good thing about being in a place surrounded by psychologists. I can read people better. Apparently it makes me more human, although that assessment is highly inaccurate. I have the same DNA in my genetics that makes everyone human. But I digress...From what I have learned here, and my observations of you, I can conclude that you love Agent Booth."

"Yes, I do love him," Brennan agreed. "But how do I fix things? What am I supposed to do to make things better." She felt highly uncomfortable asking someone for advice, but, in a way, asking Zack was the best option. He spoke her language. The language of rationality, of science.

"Take a few days away from him, away from everybody. Let yourself deal with all of these new emotions. And then talk to him. That's what he wants, right. For you to talk to him?"

"Yeah, it is," Brennan answered. "You're right. Perhaps taking a break is what everyone needs. It'll put things into perspective. Not just for me, but for everyone."

Brennan took his advice and called in sick to work the following day. This way she could avoid a confrontation with Booth. She could give herself more time to think, to process everything. She spent the day drinking wine and working on her novel. When night fell, she went to bed early and fell into a peaceful slumber, where she was met with dreams of Booth and the future they could share.

Early the next morning, she still didn't feel ready to talk to Booth. She was embarrassed by her actions, and wasn't quite ready to apologize. But she knew she needed to return to work. She needed to continue working on the Georgetown case. She owed that much to the victims. To help them get justice, let their voices be heard. She was the first to arrive at the Jeffersonian that morning, and went right to work looking for anything of use on any of the victims' bones.

oOo

"Agent Booth," a young agent called out as soon as Booth stepped out of the elevator. "A package arrived for you. I had it sent up to your desk." The agent looked over Booth with concern. "Is everything okay, Agent Booth?"

"Yeah, everything's fine!" Booth snapped. In reality things weren't okay. Booth hadn't seen or heard from Brennan in nearly 40 hours, and he hadn't slept a wink since their fight two nights earlier. It was showing in the way he walked and in the dark circles under his eyes.

"Okay," the agent said, not wanting to risk angering his superior by pursuing the matter. "The package should be on your desk."

"Thanks, Donovan," Booth shouted as he walked towards his office.

Sure enough, he saw a package waiting for him as he entered into his office. It was a plain yellow envelope with the words _'Agent Seeley Booth'_ scrawled out in the center. There was no return address. Booth had seen this type of package before. It was the same type of package that the videos of the Georgetown victims came. Booth felt his heart drop as he walked over to the package.

_No! _Booth thought to himself. _We haven't found another body. Nobody has been reported missing. _Booth knew that whatever was in the envelope would not be good. _Had there been another victim, one they hadn't found yet. Had the killer changed his M.O.? Why would there be a package, but no body? _

A million questions were racing through his mind. Questions that could only be answered by opening the envelope and examining the contents inside. Knowing he had no other choice, he cautiously opened the envelope and dumped it's contents onto his desk. Like the others, it was a clear plastic case that housed a DVD. Only this time, there was one major difference. Written in black permanent marker across the disc were the words_ 'I hope you enjoy the show'._

He carefully put the DVD into his computer, pressed play, and watched in horror as the events unfolded on the screen in front of him. He couldn't handle watching the entire video, he felt nauseous every time he looked at the screen. He quickly ejected the disc before the footage ended.

This was bad, very bad. He was shocked, unsure of what to do. Well, he knew what needed to be done. He needed to go see Brennan and the squints. He just hoped Brennan would stay in the room long enough for Booth to explain the reason behind his unexpected trip to the Jeffersonian, and that this news wouldn't devastate her completely and make her continue to close herself off from the rest of the world.

oOo

After driving across town like a maniac thanks to the help of his flashing lights and siren, Booth purposefully walked into the lab with the evidence bag gripped tightly in his hand. He looked up to the platform, only to see that Brennan wasn't there. There was, however, three pairs of shocked eyes staring down at him.

"Booth-" Cam started.

"Not now, Camille. I need Bones." Booth could feel the stinging in his eyes begin once again. He had barely calmed down enough to make the drive to the Jeffersonian, let alone be able to break this news to the squints. How was he supposed to tell his friends that someone so close to their heart had become the most recent victim of a murderous psychopath.

"Oh no you don't," Angela said. "I don't know what happened between the two of you, but she's made it clear that she doesn't want to see you."

"Now is not the time for this, Ange," Booth said, his voice cracking from the barely contained emotions. "Where is she?"

"No, Booth," Angela replied. "You don't get to know that information."

"Her office or limbo?" Booth said. He was answered with silence. "Cam? Hodgins? Tell me where she is."

"Agent B, I'm sorry," Hodgins answered. His eyes flicked towards Brennan's office. "But my loyalty is with Dr. B. She doesn't want you here. Not yet, anyway."

"Her office it is," Booth said as he turned and began to make his way over there.

"Oh no you don't, Booth!" Angela yelled as she ran off the platform and raced after him. She stopped when she was standing between her favorite FBI guy and Brennan's office door.

"Ange, move!" Booth said. "I'm not kidding around here."

"No-"

"ANGELA! GET OUT OF MY GODDAMNED WAY. NOW!" Booth yelled, no longer able to control his emotions.

Angela froze. For the first time, she was actually afraid of the FBI guy. Something was obviously wrong. "Booth...I...I..." She stepped aside without finishing her thought.

"Ange..." Booth called after her, his guilt getting the best of him. His stomach sank with the realization of exactly how out of control he had become.

"Just do what you need to do Booth," Angela stated. "But if you hurt her. I...I swear to God, Booth..."

"I know," he replied before turning back to Brennan's office door. Instead of knocking, he opened the door and walked right in. Brennan was slumped over her desk as she focused on her computer and pretended that she didn't hear his outburst through the door. "Bones, I know you don't want to see me, but-"

"But what, Booth?" She turned in her chair and gave him her full attention. She wasn't ready to face him, to admit that she was wrong and embarrassed by her actions. She knew that everything was her fault. She had panicked, despite her assurances to the contrary. "What, Booth? What do you want?"

"Listen, I know things haven't been so good between us, and I'm not really sure why. I'm trying to give you space, I really am trying. But we need to put this behind us right now. I've got something that you need to take a look at." He lifted up the hand that was holding the evidence bag and brought it into view.

"What's that?" Brennan asked, immediately interested. She got up from her desk chair and walked over to Booth. She took the evidence bag from his hand to examine it more closely.

"A DVD. It was sent to the FBI today," Booth explained.

"From the killer? But there's no body..."

"I know," Booth answered gravely. "He's changed his M.O. We need Sweets to update his profile. And I...I need...Angela should try to analyze this."

"Have you seen it?" Brennan inquired, then she realized that something was off in his previous statement. "Wait, what do you mean by _try_ to analyze it? It's not damaged, is it?"

Booth swallowed hard. "No, it's not damaged." He dropped his head in his hands for a moment to think of a way to break the news to her. "It's just...the victim..." He lifted his head up to look Brennan in the eye. He choked on his words a few times before he managed to get one out. "Morgan."

"Morgan what?" Brennan asked, not quite catching on. She searched Booth's eyes, trying to fill in the gaps. His eyes were full of sadness, pain, and guilt. "Morgan...do you mean to say that the...the _victim_...is...is Morgan? _Our_ Morgan?"

Booth nodded, unable to speak the words aloud.

"NO! No, you're lying!" Brennan cried. Her eyes watered and tears threatened to spill over and down her cheeks. "There...there's no body."

"Bones-"

"NO! Get out of here. Why are you trying to hurt me?" The tears were pouring from her eyes and sobs were starting to rack her body. Booth took a step closer to her and attempted to wrap his arms around her. She fought back against him. "No, Booth, you're wrong. She's in Maine. She's alive. In Maine. Presenting a paper at a conference. She's not...she can't be..."

"Bones," Booth said. His heart was breaking for the woman he loved. "Come here. Please?" She calmed down enough to accept his offer of comfort. She stepped closer to him and allowed him to engulf her with his arms.

oOo

"Here." Booth said as he walked onto the platform, setting the evidence bag onto a table. "When you're done, bring the video into Angela's office."

"Sure thing, G-Man." Hodgins said, "What's this?" He picked up the evidence bad and inspected it with curious eyes. "Another video? But there's no body."

Booth rolled his eyes. "I'm aware of that, Hodgins. I just need you to pull anything you can off this, and then get it to Angela to analyze. Bones and I will be waiting with Angela in her office." Booth turned and walked off the platform towards the direction of Brennan's office.

As he approached her office, he saw her leaning over her desk with her head in her hands. She was taking quick, shallow breaths. He knew she had been crying. "Hey, are you alright, Bones?"

Brennen took a minute before she answered, making sure to avoid his gaze. "Yeah, I'm fine. Angela is waiting for us in her office. We should head over there so we can prepare her for what she'll see while analyzing the video. She...she doesn't know yet. And we need to tell Cam. And Mr. Nigel-Murray. They should know too."

"I know, Bones," Booth said softly. "I'll go tell them to meet us in Angela's office. Once Hodgins comes in, we'll explain it to them. That way we only have to do this once."

Brennan nodded and wiped a few tears from her eyes. "We should go do that then." She started to get up from he desk when she felt Booth walk over to stand next to her.

"Bones," he said. "Look at me."

She pulled her head up and looked him directly in his eyes. "Let's just get this over with, okay?"

And with that, they walked out into the lab to inform everyone to meet them in Angela's office immediately after Hodgins got done with the evidence.

oOo

"I don't think it's such a good idea for all of you to be watching this," Booth stated as his eyes traveled from Cam to Mr. Nigel Murray. He had just broke the news to them, and was worried about the well-being of his friends.

"Booth, I've known Morgan since she was a little girl," Cam replied. "You can't stop me from watching this."

"And Morgan and I...we were really close." Mr. Nigel-Murray said. "I need to see this, to see her one last time."

"Okay, you can both stay," Booth said. "But if I see that you can't handle watching this, I'm forcing you both out. Is that understood?"

"Yes," they both replied in unison.

And with that, Angela started the video. The room fell silent as the screen illuminated with the image of Morgan sitting on the floor tied to a pipe that protruded from a brick wall. Morgan was badly bruised and had cuts all over her face and body. Her clothes were ripped and cut, most likely removed forcefully and then thrown back on for the sake of this video. A mixture of dirt and blood marked her body like a type of war paint, a camouflage behind which she hid her actual pain. Her dripping wet hair acted as a barrier that she hid behind in hopes that her captor wouldn't see her and would leave her alone. She looked tired, weak, and defeated.

A tall man wearing black pants, a black sweatshirt, black boots, black gloves, and a black ski mask came onto the screen, just like he did in the other three videos. He walked up to Morgan and hit her hard across the face as she let out a soft whimper.

"Agent Booth," the man's cold voice said. "I have chosen to send this video directly to you, as I have been informed that you are the agent in charge of my case. I have also been informed that you, as well as your colleagues at the Jeffersonian, have a relationship with this young lady. I take great pleasure in knowing that you get the _privilege_ of watching this woman's last moments." An unfeeling laugh filled the room as Morgan tried to hold back tears.

Booth took this opportunity to look around the office. Brennan stood directly to his left, completely focused on the screen while trying to keep her emotions in check. Cam stood a few feet away from her. She kept a brave face, but the tears she wiped from her eyes showed the depth of her pain. Mr. Nigel-Murray stood off in the corner by himself, clenching his fists in anger. Booth turned his head to his right to see Hodgins embracing Angela as she wiped away the stream of tears falling from her eyes.

When he heard Morgan scream, he turned his full attention back to the video. The man had just kicked her in the stomach. He informed her that if she begged for her life, he would be merciful.

Morgan tried to catch her breath, while anger filled her eyes. She looked toward her captor and confidently said "I know about your other victims. Even when they pleaded with you to spare their lives, you tortured and killed them. I will NEVER give you that satisfaction." She screamed in pain as he once again kicked her in the abdomen.

He kicked her a few more time before he replied to her comments. "Fine then. Why don't you say a few final words to your friends while you're still able to." And with that, he backed off of her to let her compose herself.

Morgan looked directly in the camera and started spilling her goodbyes. "Booth," she started out, "I just wanted to let you know that you are the bravest man I have ever met. Thank you for being so brave, for being so strong during this whole ordeal." She looked down as a few tears started to leak from her eyes. "I have complete faith that ya will be able to provide justice...for me...for all the victims. Even though I can't be saved," Morgan choked out as she looked back up to the camera, "I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you and the rest of the team will prevent this from happening to anyone else."

Taking a deep breath, Morgan continued her speech. "Dr. Brennan, thank you for being kind to me, and for accepting me into your lab." Letting a small laugh escape, she continued, "I know it was Cam who hired me, but we all know that you run the lab. And you let me be a part of that, so thank you. Even though we never really talked about it, you understood me on a level that no one else could ever have imagined because we share something in our past. Thank you for teaching me a little bit about anthropology. And I truly enjoyed our late night philosophical debates." At that, Booth heard Brennan sniffle a little bit. "Don't mess things up with that hot stuff agent of yours. Going back to one of our last debates, I believe that Plato was correct in his theory about soul mates. I mean, humans probably never existed with 4 arms, 4 legs, and 2 faces, but I do feel that there is another half of every single person who completes us. After all, there is the saying that 'opposites attract.' Maybe the other person out there, our soulmate, is everything that we ain't. I found mine."

With that, she moved on to Mr. Nigel-Murray. "Vincent, you are the rational to my emotional. You are the book smarts to my street smarts. You are the calm and collected to my wild and erratic. You are the listener and I am the talker. You are the shy to my outgoing. And you are the confidence to my insecurities. You complete me in every way possible. Even though we haven't known each other long, we fell into love hard and fast. I knew from the first day we met that you were the one for me. You are the reason I got through each and every day these past few weeks when all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry myself to death. You made everything better. You were the first thing I would think of in the morning and the last that I thought of at night. I love you with my whole heart and I hope ya can find love once more."

A few more tears fell down Morgan's face as she paused in her speech. "Dr. Hodgins, thank you for being the nicest guy I know. Your crazy little conspiracy theories kept me entertained each and every day at work. Do everything ya can to make your relationship with Ange work out. And if ya ever hurt her, I'll come back and haunt ya from beyond the grave." She let out a small laugh at her joke. Her sad, hazel eyes instantly became serious once again.

"Angela, you are the big sister that I never had," Morgan stated. "We bonded quickly over our love of art. You are one of the best artists I have ever had the privilege of meeting. And you do something great with your talent each and every day. You give people back their faces, their identities. Never doubt that you are doing the right thing. You are. And thank you for supporting me in all of my artistic endeavors. You're gonna make an awesome mom one day, let's hope that your bug guy is lucky enough to be the dad."

"Cam," Morgan began. "I will never be able to tell you enough how much you mean to me. You are the mother I never had. Thank you for being there for me and for helping me get the most amazing job ever. Working at the Jeffersonian has been a great privilege. Thanks. And tell Michelle that I love her and that she is the best friend that anyone could have ever asked for."

With the tears freely falling from her hazel eyes, Morgan took one last look into the camera and informed the team that she would be watching over them from heaven.

The man took a few steps toward Morgan, laughed, and then began to beat her. Morgan let out a few cries of pain before she fell limp against the wall as unconsciousness claimed her.

The man walked toward the camera and knelt down so that only his ski mask-covered face was showing. "Agent Booth, this is my warning to you and your team of crackheads at the Jeffersonian. Stop working this case. I will keep her alive if you comply. Should you continue the investigation, or begin to search for her whereabouts, I won't hesitate to add her to my list of lovely ladies. Let me tell you, I have enjoyed her immensely. She puts up one hell of a fight. But no worries, by the time I get done with her, she's always screaming my name. Each and every time." The man laughed, obviously thinking back to an earlier memory.

The laughter died off, and the man grew serious. "Either way, no matter what you decide, I can assure you that you'll never find her in time, Agent Booth. She's mine. And God willing, I may just keep her forever!"

The screen went blank.

Mr. Nigel-Murray was the first to leave the room. Without saying a word, he stormed out through the doors of the Jeffersonian, walking out into the crisp, autumn air.

Cam was the next to leave the room. It took her a while to stop the tears. Once she was able to hold in her emotions long enough, she said "I'll be in my office" to no one in particular, and then she proceeded to solemnly walk out the door and down the hall.

"Do you think you'll be able to get anything off this video?" Booth asked as he turned to look at Angela who was still holding onto Hodgins.

"Possibly," she replied. "I'll have to watch it a few more times to be sure."

"Are you sure you can handle that, babe?" Hodgins asked, his voice thick with concern.

"Yeah, I think so." Angela said. "On the plus side, this is the first time we've heard his voice. Maybe we can use that to our advantage."

"Yeah, he definitely sounded familiar. But don't watch any more than you need to." Booth told her, knowing that Angela would have a very difficult time watching as the man tortured his helpless victim.

Brennan had been quiet during this whole exchange. Wiping a few tears from her own eyes, she turned to look towards Angela. "Thank you," was all she was able to say before she walked out of Angela's office and back to her own, with Booth trailing close behind.

"Hey, Bones!" Booth called out as he followed her towards her office.

Brennan ignored him and continued walking. When she finally reached the safety of her office, Booth grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him.

"Bones, look at me. Are you okay?" Booth knew it was a stupid question, but he had to ask.

Her sad, cerulean eyes showed just how much pain she was experiencing. "We have to look for her, Booth. We can't just leave her there. We have to save her. We should be...we have to..."

Booth nodded in agreement, unable to get any words out as he watched the love of his life suffer in empathy for their friend. Their eyes stayed locked for what seemed like an eternity.

"Find her, Booth."

The tears were cascading from his eyes. He took a few steps closer, and pulled her roughly into his arms. He never wanted to let her go. "Priority number one, Bones. As of now, she's priority number one."

**AN: In the coming chapters...we find out why Tyrell didn't report Morgan missing right away, a new agent takes control of the case-much to the team's dismay, something happens to Vincent, the team finds the most evidence they have found yet, a character from earlier chapters comes back, and the team solves the case-but not without lasting repercussions!**


	32. Chapter 32

**AN: It's been about a week since my last update...sorry, didn't mean to keep ya waiting this long. I just got really busy! And if I didn't reply to your review from last chapter, I'm so sorry. I'll definitely reply next time! New chapter! YAY! Now quit reading this and go enjoy it!**

CHAPTER 32:

He didn't know where he was going, only that he needed air. For the first time in his life, he felt trapped inside his own mind. For the first time, he felt the urge to shut off his mind and just let his emotions manifest themselves physically, rather than through his intellect. This was a strange, new sensation for him. Vincent was never one to turn off his mind and rely solely on physical prowess, very limited physical prowess at best.

But after seeing that video, after seeing Morgan, the love of his life, suffering at the hands of a deranged lunatic, his mind went numb. Numb from the images that had burned themselves into his retinas. Numb from the racing thoughts and imagined scenarios of her suffering. Numb with the realization that he was powerless to stop it. That at this very moment, she was being tortured, raped, and begging for it all to end. And he didn't know how to save her.

Anger coursed through his veins. The only way he felt he could contain it was by moving, walking. Which was how he found himself pacing through the Jeffersonian Botanical Gardens. The movement and fresh air helped, albeit only slightly. He needed someone to blame. To point the finger at one person who was at fault. It didn't even have to be the murder. Just one person who could have prevented this.

A plan flashed through his mind. A name. The name of one person he could surely blame. He needed to take action. And he knew just where to start.

oOo

She felt peaceful in his arms. As peaceful as she could possibly get, given the present circumstances. She never wanted to let go. His arms brought her comfort in the face of adversity; comfort in the face of pain. Unfortunately, it didn't last long.

"Don't answer it," Brennan mumbled, afraid of what knowledge may be on the other end of the phone call. Yet another kidnapping. Another gruesomely unidentified body, which this time wouldn't belong to a stranger. Another family member in trouble. Brennan finally knew the meaning behind the saying she had so often heard: Ignorance is bliss.

"I gotta, Bones," Booth whispered. "It could be important. You know that." He felt her nod in agreement against his shoulder. Booth reluctantly loosened his hold on Brennan to reach into his pocket and pull out his cell. He answered without looking at the caller ID. "Booth."

Brennan completely disentangled herself from Booth and walked into her office, leaving him standing just outside her office door. She staggered over to the couch that adorned her office. Her knees were weak and gave out on her once she reached her destination. She fell down onto the couch and pulled one of the pillows so that it was cradled to her chest. She curled up into a ball in an effort seek some semblance of comfort. She felt her tears fall down her face with renewed fury.

Booth walked in a few minutes later, hearing the sad sounds of Brennan's sobs. He walked over to her and knelt down beside the couch. "Bones." His heart broke upon seeing her emotional pain. He brought up his hand and began to wipe away her tears.

Brennan kept her eyes closed when she felt Booth's hand begin to caress her cheek. She couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes for fear that what little strength she still had would disappear. She listened as he whispered calming words into her ear in an attempt to calm her down.

He brought his hand down her arm and began rubbing circles onto her back. He leaned over and placed his lips to her forehead, and she let out a heart-wrenching sob at the contact. She leaned into his touch, and he continued whispering soothing words and let his love for her shine through as he calmed her down. After a few minutes her cries began to fade, and she crawled off the couch and into his open arms.

"Thank you, Booth. You shouldn't have had to see me like that."

"It's no problem, honey. I love you. That's what I'm here for."

She nodded against his shoulder and snuggled closer into his chest. "Who was on the phone?"

Booth took a deep breath. "Cullen. He says that I'm too close to the case now. I can still be involved, but someone else will be in charge of the investigation."

Brennan slightly pulled back in shock. "What! Why would he do that?" Her red-rimmed eyes searched his for an explanation.

"I'm too close to the case, Bones. I'm lucky he's even letting me stay in the loop."

"Who...who's going to be the new agent we'll be working with?"

"Agent Perotta. She's on her way now," Booth replied. "She'll be bringing FBI lab techs to do the actual analysis of any further evidence."

"What! No!" Brennan protested. "We're perfectly capable of performing our own analyses of the evidence."

Booth tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Cullen knows you're too close too! He wants the Jeffersonian to oversee the process, but the FBI techs must do the actual work."

Brennan crossed her arms over her chest. Booth pulled her more tightly into his embrace. Brennan huffed out a breath in anger, but decided her efforts would be of better use trying to find Morgan, rather than arguing over authority. "When will Agent Perotta be arriving?"

"Sooner than you'd think," a voice answered from Brennan's doorway. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt."

The partners broke from their embrace on the floor and stood up to greet the newest member of their team.

"Hey, Perotta," Booth said. "Thanks for getting here so quickly."

Brennan added her own greeting. "Yes, we really appreciate it, although your involvement really isn't necessary. I'm sure Booth agrees with me in saying we'd much prefer to investigate on our own. However, due to Director Cullen's insistence, we are willing to accept your presence."

"Thank you, Dr. Brennan," Perotta said. "I think." She took in the appearance of the two people standing before her. Both had bloodshot eyes with dark circles underneath, most likely from a great deal of crying. They looked utterly exhausted and completely worried about their friend. "Listen, I'm so sorry about your friend."

"Thank you, Perotta," Booth said. "Maybe we should get started. The sooner we begin, the closer we'll be to bringing her back here safe and sound."

"You don't know that, Booth," Brennan protested. "For all we know, he could've killed her by now. She's been gone for over 48 hours. Her chances of survival are very slim. You saw the state she was in."

"She's not dead-" Booth started, but was interrupted by Brennan.

"You can't know that, Booth! You have no evidence."

"We don't have a body, now do we?" Booth stated. "Until there's a body that you can conclusively say is hers, with 100% certainty, then she's still out there. Alive. And he said that if we stopped our investigation, he wouldn't kill her."

"You're being redundant, Booth," Brennan rolled her eyes. "Conclusively and 100% certainty are the same thing."

"But you get what I'm saying right? He said he wasn't going to kill her. Currently, he has no reason to believe we've been continuing the investigation. We haven't done anything except watch the tape. He's not going to kill her."

Brennan shook her head. "But we're _are_ going to continue with the investigation, Booth! He's gotta know that. He's just taunting us!"

"Alright you too!" Perotta interrupted. "Enough with the bickering. Agent Booth is right. We should get started."

oOo

Perotta looked around at the faces of her colleagues, the people whom had just learned of the fate of one of their own. Booth had everyone assemble into Brennan's office so that she could begin the investigation with some preliminary questions to those people who knew Morgan best. "When was the last time anybody has seen or heard from Morgan Johnson?"

Everyone was quiet for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. Surprisingly, it was Angela who spoke up first. "As far as I know, Vincent Nigel-Murray, an intern here at the Jeffersonian, saw her on Wednesday morning before she was supposed to head to the airport to get onto her flight to Maine."

"Wednesday morning?" Perotta questioned with a cocked eyebrow.

"They were dating," Angela answered.

"He also spoke to her that morning at around 9 AM," Hodgins supplied. Guilt flashed across his face as he remember the conversation he had with Vincent just after that phone call. He had told Vincent that it sounded like Morgan was getting ready to break up with him, that Maine was an excuse to put some distance between them. He didn't mean it, he was just giving the kid a hard time. But now, he wished he'd never said that.

"Vincent told me that during the phone call, Morgan had said that she was already on her way to the airport, which put him a little more at ease, you know, knowing that she wasn't going to miss her flight." Angela laughed to herself despite her tears. "We all know that Morgan's clock tends to run a little bit behind the rest of ours. She's always running late."

"So, then she wasn't taken from her dorm," Perotta concluded.

Angela shook her head. "No. It's actually very likely she was taken from her dorm."

"But you just said-" Perotta began.

"She lied," Angela interrupted. "She probably didn't want Vincent to worry, so she lied about having already left. According to Vincent, at the end of their conversation, Morgan stated that she needed to hang up because someone was knocking on her door. Now tell me, how could she know that somebody was knocking on the door if she had already left?"

Booth and Brennan shared a look, remembering the time he was taken by the gravedigger. The situation was eerily similar.

"You're right, she didn't leave," Booth said, not breaking eye contact with Brennan. "And that knock on her door? Probably our murderer."

Perotta looked at Booth. "Then Agent Booth and I will be heading over to her dorm to look for evidence. It is possible that she was taken from there. I would like the rest of you to head to the FBI to give official statements."

"Alright," Booth said. "I want Cam, Wendell, Hodgins, and Angela to get to the FBI to give their statements. Any info you guys have could be critical to finding her in time. Bones, you're gonna come with me and Perotta to her dorm room. Then we'll call in some of our suspects to the FBI."

They all nodded their heads in agreement and began to head out.

"One more thing," Perotta said, stopping everyone in their tracks. "Where is this Vincent Nigel-Murray you've been mentioning? I'd like to question him before we head over to Morgan's dormitory," Perotta asked. Everyone in the room shared a look with each other. No one had seen him since they watched the DVD in Angela's office.

oOo

"Open up!" Vincent demanded as he slammed his fist against the door. "Bloody hell! I know you're in there!" He continued to angrily hit the door with his fist as he waited for someone to answer.

He was met with continued silence. He grew increasingly frustrated as he began to realize that nobody was home. His violent knocks became angered punches, a way to take out his frustrations.

About 10 minutes later, Vincent was startled out of his actions when a voice sounded from behind him. "Yo, what the hell are ya doin' to my door?"

Vincent locked eyes with the man, pausing for a few moments before he charged at him. He wrenched back his bloodied fist, then released it forward so it connected with the man's jaw.

"Why?" Vincent demanded. "You! You were supposed to pick her up at 9. You could have stopped all this."

"What the hell are ya talkin' about, man?"

"She trusted you, Tyrell!" Vincent screamed. "Why didn't you report her missing on Wednesday? It's all your fault!" Vincent threw another punch at Tyrell. And another. And another. He didn't stop until Tyrell was a bloody mess laying unconscious on the floor.

oOo

Nearly 40 minutes after their talk in Brennan's office, Perotta, Booth, and Brennan were pulling into the parking lot near Morgan's dorm room. They met up with campus security before heading into the residence hall.

"It's this way," Brennan said as she ran towards Morgan's dorm room.

"No sign of forced entry," Booth said after inspecting the lock. He ordered campus security to open to door.

The sight that greeted them when the door swung opened shocked them all. Some of the furniture was flipped over, there was broken glass on the floor, and her luggage was scattered along the floor near the staircase. There was a trail of blood leading through the room, starting near the front door and ending at the back door. The sliding glass door was caked with dried blood, a bloody handprint clearly smeared across the glass.

"My God," Perotta said. "She was definitely taken from here."

They carefully made their way into the dormitory, inspecting the destruction along the way. Booth called the FBI and asked that techs be brought to the scene to collect evidence. When he ended the phone call, he ordered campus police to bring him every security tape that had cameras pointing in this part of campus.

"Booth," Brennan whispered. "How could we not have known? It's been well over 48 hours and we didn't even know. We let her down. We failed her."

"There was no reason for us to suspect that anything was wrong," Booth explained.

"But-" Brennan began to protest, but she was interrupted by the ringing of Booth's phone. Brennan rolled her eyes in irritation and crossed her arms over her chest.

Booth looked at the caller ID and decided to answer upon seeing that it was Cullen. "Booth...yes, sir..." His eye's locked with Brennan's. "...Yep...I'll tell her, and we'll head over as soon as possible...thanks, sir."

Brennan looked at him, an unasked question reflected in her eyes.

Booth looked at the phone in his hands as he processed the information he just received. He slid his phone back into his pocket before looking back up at Brennan. "Vincent's been arrested, Bones."

**AN: GASP! Vincent was really out of character (I know this, so don't get mad at me). Anger and grief makes everyone act a little out of character though...**


	33. Chapter 33

**AN: Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

CHAPTER 33:

"What were you thinking?" Brennan asked. She was seated at the metal table in the interrogation room across from Vincent. Her arms were crossed in front of her on the table. She waited for Vincent to respond.

Vincent looked down and shook his head.

"Listen," Booth started. He was seated at the table next to Brennan. "We understand your pain and frustration. Believe me, we do. But why would you get yourself into a hell of a lot of trouble by going to attack one of our suspects?"

Again, Vincent shook his head. He wouldn't make eye contact with either the FBI agent or his mentor.

Booth looked towards the two-way mirror to where he knew Perotta was standing. He turned back to Vincent. "Do you know something that we don't?"

Vincent remained silent.

Brennan took a deep breath. "Mr. Nigel-Murray, I don't blame you for what you did. And if Tyrell had anything to do with Morgan's disappearance or the murder of any of the victims, then I completely agree with your behavior."

Vincent looked up and met Brennan's eyes.

"But you need to let us do things our own way," Brennan continued. "Tyrell is in the hospital. He could very well press charges."

"It doesn't matter anyways," Vincent mumbled.

"What was that?" Booth questioned.

"I said it doesn't matter anyways," Vincent said a little louder. "Nothing matters unless Morgan is safe."

"Then you need to tell us what you know," Brennan implored. "Out of all of our suspects, why did you choose to attack Tyrell? Vincent, you need to tell us so that we can bring Morgan back home."

"I needed someone to blame," Vincent stated. "And Tyrell was supposed to be the one who took Morgan to the airport. If he had done his job, maybe she'd be in Maine right now, instead of living in hell."

"So, Morgan told you that Tyrell was going to bring her to the airport?" Booth asked for clarification. He glanced over to the mirror. "Well then, why didn't he report Morgan missing?"

"That's the million dollar question now, isn't it?" Vincent stated.

"We have to go to the hospital to question Tyrell," Brennan exclaimed. She stood up quickly and walked over to the door. Booth followed closely behind.

"Dr. Brennan?" Vincent asked. His voice betrayed a hint of fear. "What's going to happen to me?"

"You'll have to stay here until we know for sure whether Tyrell will be pressing charges against you," Booth answered.

Vincent nodded his head. "That sounds reasonable. Honestly, I don't really care what happens to me. Just go find Morgan."

Brennan's eyes welled with tears. "We will. I can promise you, Vincent, that we're not going to rest until we find her and bring her back to us."

oOo

"How are you feeling, Tyrell?" Perotta asked as she entered his hospital room. Booth and Brennan followed close behind.

Tyrell shrugged his shoulders. "Could be better." His eyes widened when he saw Brennan. "You here to start kickin' my ass too?"

"No," Brennan said. "But depending on what you tell us, I may have to make an adjustment to that."

Tyrell shook his head. "What is it with you science geeks? I never pegged y'all as people who resort to violence."

"Why do you believe Vincent Nigel-Murray attacked you?" Booth asked.

"Dunno," Tyrell rolled his eyes. "Kept talking about how she trusted me and I could've stopped it. He said it was all my fault. Now, as to who _she_ and what _it_ are, I'm stumped."

"He was talking about Morgan Johnson," Perotta said.

"Morgan?" Tyrell asked. "What happened to Morgan?" He sat up straighter in his bed.

"She was kidnapped on Wednesday morning, before her flight," Booth explained.

"What we'd like to know is why you didn't take her to the airport that morning like you were supposed to," Brennan stated.

"I...I...she never showed up," Tyrell said. "I figured she found another ride. Thought that British guy who just attacked me had taken her. He's her boyfriend, right?"

"Yes," Perotta said. "He is."

"Tyrell, you're Morgan's friend, right?" Brennan questioned. Tyrell nodded his head. "Have you noticed anybody who's been paying too much attention to her?"

"Nah man," Tyrell said. "But, I haven't spent much time with her lately. She works a lot. And when she's not working, she's with the British dude."

"Were you jealous of that?" Booth asked. "Perhaps you wanted to spend a little more time with your friend. I mean, you used to date her, right?"

Tyrell looked over Booth to judge the seriousness of his statement. "I'll admit that I missed her. She's a sweet honey. But I ain't gonna kill her, if that's what you think. Besides, I got a lot of girls chasing after me."

"But she's the one girl who wasn't chasing you," Perotta said. "Maybe you got upset about that. You took her away with the intent of forcing her to spend the rest of her life with you. You did the same with the other victims, only they resisted too much. So you had to kill them, in order to keep them there with you."

Tyrell stared blankly at Perotta. "Ya do realize how crazy that sounds, right? And I ain't crazy." He looked over to Booth and Brennan. "I didn't do anything. You have to believe me."

"I do, Tyrell," Brennan stated. "Morgan trusted you. That's enough for me."

oOo

The two FBI agents and forensic anthropologist made their way to their next suspect's house. Per Angela's suggestion, they intended to pay a home visit to each of their plausible suspects. First on their list was Tristian Howards. Booth pegged him as the prime suspect because his gut didn't trust the man. Even Brennan had to admit that the guy was less than desirable.

Booth pulled his SUV into the driveway of Tristian's house. Brennan was sitting in the passenger seat, while Perotta was stuck sitting in back. Perotta felt like a third wheel whenever she was assigned to work with those two. In fact, Perotta felt less like the lead investigator in this case, and more like a child tagging along with her bickering parents.

"Now, I want you both to remember," Perotta began to say to her partners as they climbed out of the car, "that since I am the lead investigator, I would appreciate it if you would let _me_ do the talking to our next suspect."

"But Booth and I have a history with Mr. Howards," Brennan began to protest. "He'd be more likely to open up to us, than he would be with anyone else."

"Which is exactly why I allowed the two of you to join me in interrogating our suspects," Perotta explained. She walked up to the front door and rang the bell. "But the fact remains that they are my suspects now, so I will be the one asking the questions."

"Yeah, we get it," Booth grumbled as he led Brennan up the sidewalk to join Perotta.

A few doorbell rings later, Tristian finally opened the door slightly and stuck his head out. "May I help you?" He looked around at the three people standing on the door stoop. "Oh, Agent Booth. Dr. Brennan. Always a pleasure." He made no move to open the door wider.

"Mr. Howards, I presume," Perotta said. "Hi. I'm Agent Perotta. I've been named the new lead investigator in the Georgetown case. Another student has gone missing. I was wondering if we could have a word with you."

Tristian squinted his eyes and looked at Perotta. He opened the door a little wider and stepped outside. "Nice to meet you." He looked over his shoulder, back into his home. "I'm sorry, but now is not really a good time."

Booth crossed his arms over his chest. "Not a good time? We tell you that another student has gone missing, and you say it's not a good time for you to speak with us?"

"I'm sorry to have upset you, Agent Booth," Tristian began to apologize, "but that's exactly what I said. I'm sorry about what's been happening to those poor girls, but I've got nothing to do with it. Quite frankly, if I knew anything, I'd tell you. But in all honesty, you're just wasting your time by talking to me."

"We don't believe that to be the case," Brennan stated.

"We understand that you must be busy," Perotta said. "But if you could just give us 5 or 10 minutes, then we'll be on our way."

Tristian was silent for a moment. He nodded his head.

"May we have this conversation inside?" Brennan asked.

Tristian once again looked over his shoulder and into his home. "Uh-"

He was interrupted by the shrill of Booth's cell phone. Booth pulled the device out of his pocked and checked the caller ID.

"Hold on," Booth said. "I gotta take this." Booth walked off the porch and wandered halfway down the sidewalk before he flipped open his phone and answered. "Booth...yeah...thanks, Charlie."

"What was that about?" Brennan questioned when Booth made his way back up to the house.

Perotta stopped talking with Tristian. She waited for Booth to answer.

Booth's eyes shot between Brennan and Perotta. "Can I talk with you two for a moment? In private?" They nodded and followed him away from the door.

Tristian kept a watchful eye on them, despite being out of earshot.

Brennan's eyes searched Booth's face. "What's going on, Booth?"

Booth's eyes locked with Brennan. "Kenneth Kaiser came into the FBI building today. He says he saw something. But he's not talking. Cullen wants us to come in to interrogate him."

"Wait, who is this Kenneth Kaiser?" Perotta questioned. "And why wasn't I informed about him earlier?"

"He's Morgan's uncle," Brennan explained, eyes never leaving Booth's.

"He's not on the list of plausible suspects because he was in jail when the first murder occurred," Booth answered.

"We should head over to the FBI to question Kenneth so as not to waste any more time," Brennan stated. "I'm not sure how much more torture Morgan will be able to withstand. And who knows if the murderer has been made aware of our continued investigation."

The three of them made their way back up to the front door, where Tristian was waiting.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Howards," Perotta apologized. "Something has come up and we must address it now. Thank you for being so cooperative."

"My pleasure, ma'am," Tristian grinned at her. "Anything to help put a stop to these heinous crimes." He looked over to Booth. "If you need anything more, please don't hesitate to ask." Finally, his attention turned to Brennan and reached out to shake her hand. "Dr. Brennan, always a pleasure. And I look forward to seeing you again soon." A flirtatious smile crossed his lips.

Brennan and Perotta raised their eyebrows at Tristian's advances, while Booth just glared at the man.

"Right, we should get going," Booth stated. The three of them began to make their way back to the SUV. Booth turned his attention back to Tristian in warning. "Don't go anywhere. We'll be back to continue this conversation later."

oOo

Tristian watched as the FBI agents drove away from his home. "Whew, that was a close one," he muttered to himself. He closed his front door and made his way through to the back of the house. He opened the basement door and began to descend down the stairs into the dimly lit concrete prison.

He saw the unconscious figure of his victim slumped against the wall. He walked over to her, knelt down beside her, and ran his thumb across her face.

"Wakey wakey, Missy M," he whispered into her ear. "Come on, babe. I need you to work with me here. Wake up." He leaned down and began placing kisses on her cheek.

Her body began to twitch at the contact as she came to. She blinked a few times, trying to get her bearings. Everything was fuzzy, and she struggled to keep her dry, pained eyes open.

"That's it, babe," Tristian soothed. "Open your eyes for me." He grabbed her face and made her look at him. "I'm going to get rid of your restraints. Please be good for me. Do we have an understanding?"

Morgan kept a blank face as she attempted to process the information. "Is it time for work now? I didn't hear the alarm go off."

"Yep, that's right, babe," Tristian agreed. "I'm gonna drive you to work." He knew she couldn't tell that he was lying to her. Hell, he was pretty sure she was too far gone to even realize where she was. He leaned over her and released her hand from the pipe.

Morgan tried to stand up on her own, but collapsed in pain as soon as she put pressure onto her hands. Unable to sit up any longer, she leaned most of her weight onto Tristian's body. He placed one hand behind her knees and the other behind her back, and then lifted her with ease. She molded herself into his arms and allowed her head to rest against his shoulder.

"I had the strangest dream," Morgan mumbled.

"You wanna tell me about it?" Tristian whispered. He began to carry her up the stairs.

Morgan nodded her head. "I was drowning. No wait, I...I mean...I was trapped inside a freezer."

"That's a strange place to be trapped inside. Don't ya think?" Tristian pointed out.

"Mmmhmm," Morgan agreed. "I'm really tired. Can I go to sleep now?"

"Don't worry," Tristian said. "You'll be in a deep sleep in no time."

Morgan remained quiet, in a halfway unconscious state as Tristian carried her into the garage. He juggled her in his arms and opened up the back door of his car.

"Where are we going?" Morgan mumbled.

"We're just going to go for a little drive," Tristian said. "Don't worry about it."

Morgan nodded her head and then whispered, "I love you, Vincent."

Tristian shook his head in disgust and then placed her inside the car, so that she was laying on the back seat. He laid a blanket over her so that she was completely covered, and then walked around the car and got into the driver's seat. He opened the garage door, and then backed out of his driveway. He sped off down the road with only one thought in mind: _Get rid of the evidence. Make a plan. Get rid of the evidence._

**AN: By the way, I didn't really go through and edit this, so I'm really sorry for any mistakes...**

**Not too many chapters left. I'm working hard to get them done and posted, but the semester just started so I've been busier than I would like to be. But I'm hoping to have it done real soon :D**


	34. Chapter 34

**AN: So, I just looked at my review count: 147! OMG that is amazing! I love y'all so much for being kind enough to leave a review and for sticking with me through this story. There's only a few more chapters left...but since y'all are so amazing I've decided to post another chapter for you today. I stayed up all night to finish it and make it good enough for you, so I hope ya enjoy it :D**

CHAPTER 34:

"You g...g...gotta get my sweet p...pea back, ya hear?" Kenneth stuttered. "Sh..She's mine. I...I want her b...back!"

Booth crossed his arms over his chest. He really despised this man. "That's what we want too, Mr. Kaiser. We want her back here. With us. Safe. _With us_." He emphasized the 'with us' to drill in the fact that if, no when, they got Morgan back, she would be with them not the low life drug addict seated in front of him.

"You told the FBI you had seen something," Brennan started. "What exactly did you see."

He put his hand up to his nose and sniffed hard. He then rubbed the bridge of his nose. "H...he t...took her! I w...want her b...b...back!"

"Who took her, Mr. Kaiser?" Perotta asked. "Give us a description. How did he take her? Car? What kind of car? License plate number?"

Booth looked at Perotta in disbelief. "You seriously think he's going to remember all of that?"

Perotta rolled her eyes. "If he can recall any of that information, it'll bring us closer to finding her. And the quicker that is, the more likely we'll find her alive. That's what we want, right?"

"She's correct, Booth," Brennan stated. "Mr. Kaiser. Can you please describe the man who took her? Describe the man who took Morgan."

Kenneth looked up to the ceiling in thought. He brought one of his shaky hands up to run through his greasy hair. "T...tall. White. D...dark hair."

"Well, that describes more than half the men on our suspect list," Booth scoffed. "We need more, Kaiser!" Booth slammed his fist down onto the metal table.

"H...he drove a c...car. An old one," Kenneth said. "Th...that's all I...I got." Kenneth dropped his head down into his hands and wept. "She w...wasn't m...moving. H...he t...t...tossed her into his c...car." He sobbed. "B...blood. There was s...so much b...blood."

"This isn't helping us any," Perotta stated. "We need more than just a general description."

"Angela!" Brennan exclaimed. Perotta and Booth just looked at her. "Maybe Angela can get more out of him and give us a sketch of the murderer. She's done it before."

"She's right," Booth said. "Let's get Angela in here. It can't hurt any, right?"

"I suppose not," Perotta agreed. She pulled Booth to the corner of the room while Brennan went out into the hallway to call Angela. "But even if she gets a description, I don't think we'll be able to get an arrest warrant based on the testimony of an addict. The judge will say it's not a reliable source."

"We don't need a damned warrant!" Booth yelled. "We just need enough information to find the guy, and go in to get Morgan out alive."

"This is my case, Agent Booth!" Perotta exclaimed. "Now I know Morgan is your friend, but we're going to do this by the book. We need to be able to make an arrest. Legally. So that way we can put this guy behind bars for good."

Brennan walked back into the room. "Ange is on her way." She looked questioningly at Booth and Perotta, taking in their agitated state. "Did I miss something?"

Booth shook his head and shot a glare at Perotta. "No, we're good. We've reached an understanding."

"It doesn't appear that way," Brennan pointed out.

"We have," Perotta spoke up. "Booth has agreed to do this by the book. No running off without an arrest warrant. We don't want to screw this up. This has to be done _by the book_."

"Like hell it does," Booth muttered under his breath.

oOo

"I'm not getting anywhere with him, Booth," Angela complained. She had just come up to Booth's office to speak with her friends about her lack of progress with the man who was currently seated in the interrogation room. "I can't work with the information he's giving me. I need more details, which he clearly doesn't know."

"Dammit," Booth cursed.

"Why don't we just show him pictures of our suspects and have him choose one?" Angela suggested.

"That's actually a really good idea," Brennan stated. "Why didn't we think of that?"

"Because we definitely won't get a warrant that way," Perotta said. "It'd be more reliable if he could give us a description that matches one of our suspects, rather than giving him photos to choose from."

"She's right," Booth conceded. "But at least we'll know who has her." Booth grabbed a pile of photos from a file in his desk drawer. "C'mon let's go down there."

"I don't think so, Agent Booth," Perotta protested, standing in front of him to block the way. "We won't be able to get a warrant."

"But at least we'll know where to look," Brennan pointed out.

"And we can get Morgan out safely," Angela added. "Screw a warrant. Let's just save a life."

Booth pushed past Perotta and made his way downstairs. The remaining three members of the team followed Booth down into the interrogation room.

"Alright, Kaiser. This is your last chance," Booth stated. "I'm going to show you pictures. You tell us who took Morgan. Can you do that?"

Kenneth Kaiser nodded.

"Good," Booth said. "Suspect number one: Tyrell Jones." He placed the first photo onto the table.

"Nope," Kenneth said. "Ain't him."

"Alright," Brennan said. "We're getting somewhere."

Booth placed another photo onto the table. "Suspect two: Professor Edward Jarvais."

Kenneth shook his head. "T..too old."

Booth dug out another photo. "Suspect three: Coach Richards."

Kenneth shrugged. "Maybe."

"Show him the last picture, Booth," Brennan instructed.

"Suspect four: Tristian Howards." Booth set the photo in front of Kenneth.

Kenneth stared at the picture for a moment. His eyes widened in recognition. "That's h...him! He d...done took her!"

Booth and Brennan looked at each other in shock.

"What is it, Bren?" Angela asked.

Brennan shook her head. "We were just there. We were just at his house. We should've gone inside." Tears began to pool in her eyes.

Booth walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. "Now we know who has her. All we have to do is go over there and get her."

"You don't get it, Booth, do you?" Brennan asked as she pulled away from him. "We were warned not to continue with the investigation. We did anyways. Not only did we continue, but we went to the killer's house to question him."

"No, I know what you're thinking," Booth protested. "He hasn't done anything to her, I just know it."

"How can you possibly know that?" Brennan argued. "You have no idea." She pushed herself away from Booth and then stormed out of the interrogation room.

"Where are you going?" Booth shouted to her.

She yelled back over her shoulder. "To the lab. To find evidence so that we can arrest Tristian!"

Booth moved to go chase after her, but Angela spoke up. "No, I got it. You do your FBI thing and bring Morgan home." Angela left without another word.

Perotta stood there stunned at the outburst she had just witnessed. She turned back to Kenneth Kaiser. "Thank you, Mr. Kaiser. You've been very helpful." She led him out of the room, leaving Booth standing there contemplating his next course of action.

Booth stormed out of the room, hell bent on driving over to Tristian's house and kicking the shit out of him. Hell, he'd probably even dig out some of the torture techniques he had experienced while in the army. Anything to make this guy suffer. Unfortunately, he ran into Perotta in the hallway.

"I was wondering when you were going to come out," Perotta stated. "You're not going over to Trisitan's house yet. I talked to Caroline, and she's talking to the judge about an arrest warrant. Until then, I've sent a team over to keep an eye out on Tristian's house. They have been ordered to act as surveillance only, unless they sense a threat of imminent danger."

Booth nodded his head.

Perotta placed her hand on Booth's arm. "Listen, if I absolutely knew that he had her inside his house at this very minute, we'd be on our way there right now. But we just don't know for sure. And it's illegal for us to bust into his house." Perotta smiled and then continued. "Don't worry, Booth. I want to get her back here too. But until that time, I suggest we head over to the lab. That way, we'll be ready in case they find anything."

oOo

Booth felt helpless. Restless and helpless. He knew where Morgan was, and who had her. But he couldn't do anything until they had concrete evidence and Perotta gave him the okay on the arrest warrant.

Their initial request for an arrest warrant was denied. Perotta was correct. Testimony from a known drug addict was viewed as unreliable. The judge looked at the evidence we had. All circumstantial. First victim, Annabelle Ames, was Tristian's ex-girlfriend. Sure that gives him some motive and a link to the first victim. Tristian had a known link to Mikayla Cooper as well. He had met her at a graduate school student mixer. That just left Josslyn Davis. But surely there was a connection in there somewhere. Booth had an FBI team investigating that angle.

As far as access to the sports equipment, Tristian was a baseball player during his undergraduate years. Coach Richards had said that Tristian still helped out with the team. The big problem was that Tristian had an alibi during the time frames of the kidnappings. He was working at the campus radio station. And when Mikayla Cooper went missing, he was supposedly on a camping trip, but the FBI had yet to confirm this. And without any concrete evidence linking Tristian to the crime scene, there was no chance in hell of getting an arrest warrant.

Booth had been waiting for 4 hours since receiving the news that Tristian Howards was murderer. He waited 4 hours, pacing around Brennan's office and waiting for the squints to find something. It took a total of 4 hours until they finally found something.

"I GOT IT!" Hodgins's loud voice echoed throughout the lab.

Everyone came running up to him.

He lifted up a short strand of dark hair. "This little baby just saved us!"

"Hair?" Brennan questioned happily. "You found hair?"

"Yep," Hodgins grinned. "It was in Morgan's dorm. And this little baby proves that it was Tristian Howards who abducted her." He held up a file that listed the results of the DNA tests.

Brennan took the file from Hodgins to look at his results. "It's accurate." She looked over to Booth. "Booth, we should take this to Caroline. It'll be enough to get us that arrest warrant."

**AN: The next chapter is half written, I'm hoping to have it posted by this weekend :)**

**EVERYONE MUST GO WATCH THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO RIGHT NOW! THANKS FOR RETWEETING IT KAT!**

**www(DOT)youtube(DOT)com/watch?v=rWQt0E5DxNU**

**Just take out the (DOT) and replace it! Bye, bye, Burley!**


	35. Chapter 35

**AN: If you haven't seen tonight's episode yet, skip this author note and ignore my little rant...**

**I can't believe he drew another damned line between them! UGH! And ya know what she had wanted to tell him, right! UGH, things better get fixed soon! But I really did feel bad for Booth...it is kinda sad when you think about it...**

CHAPTER 35:

"FBI! Open up!" Perotta yelled for the fourth time as she knocked on the front door. Again, no one came to answer the door. Perotta nodded her head to Booth, and he took it as a sign to make his move. He stepped back, and then kicked down the front door.

The door came crashing down, and he entered the house with his gun raised. He slowly made his way inside, with Perotta and Brennan right behind him. To his left was a wooden staircase that led to the upstairs. He signaled for Perotta to head up there. Booth and Brennan went to the right.

The house was old, anyone could tell that. The room Booth and Brennan cautiously entered was the living room, which was adorned with shagged carpet, an ugly green couch, and an old television set. The room was dark as the window allowed for very little natural light to seep into the room.

Something sitting atop the television caught Brennan's attention. She walked over to it and pulled out her mini flashlight, which she shined onto the object of interest. It was a VHS tape. Brennan pulled on her latex gloves and then picked it up.

"Booth, come take a look at this," Brennan whispered.

Booth walked up next to her and leaned down to look at the tape. "'For Morgan'?"

Brennan nodded her head. The VHS was indeed labeled** 'For Morgan'**.

"I wonder what's on it," Booth wondered aloud.

"I'll have Angela take a look at it when we head back to the lab," Brennan stated. "We should probably continue looking around."

Booth nodded and made his way towards the back of the house. They walked into what appeared to be the kitchen. Most of the appliances were missing. There was only a toaster, a microwave, and a large freezer which had a pad lock on it. Booth motioned over to the freezer. "Bones, open it up."

Brennan nodded her head. It wasn't locked, so she pulled out the pad lock and lifted up the door. She gasped when she saw the gruesome scene inside. It was stained red, most likely from an extended period with the presence of blood. There were fingernail scrapings on every surface.

Brennan swallowed the thick lump in her throat before speaking. "We'll need the forensic team to take blood samples and match them to our victims." She closed the lid of the freezer and continued to look around the room. She spotted a door, which she assumed led to the basement. "Booth, over there."

He pulled open the door, and they slowly made their way into the dimly lit basement. With every step down they took, they were given a clearer picture of the events that had transpired.

The partners paused in the middle of the room to take in the familiar scene. It was the same room that was shown in each of the tapes. The smooth surface of the wall was interrupted by a protruding pipe, which is where the victims were tied up to. The air was thick with the smell of mold and rust. The concrete floor was cracked and dirty. There was a river of dried blood that led from the wall toward the drain in the center of the room.

Brennan began to walk around the room to get a better look at all of the evidence. She came across a table set up against the wall and stared at the objects sitting on top: an array of blades, whips, chains, and other weaponry. She gasped and then whispered to Booth. "What kind of person does this another human being?"

Booth walked up behind her. "I don't know."

Brennan turned around to face him. "She's not here, Booth. What do we do now?"

Booth looked deep into her eyes. Silence surrounded them.

A creaking sound from the stairs startled them out of their thoughts. Booth raised his gun and used his body to shield Brennan.

"Easy, Agent Booth," Perotta's voice rang through the room. She continued to walk down the stairs and approached the partners. "Did you find anything?"

"Blood and the crime scene," Booth stated. "No Tristian. No Morgan."

Perotta nodded her head. "I was afraid of that."

"What about you," Brennan said. "You obviously didn't find Morgan or Tristian, but did you find anything else?"

Perotta looked at Brennan, unsure of how much information she should share. She finally decided it would be best to be completely honest. "Upstairs bathroom is caked with blood, especially the bathtub. There are also blood stains on the bed."

"I figured as much," Brennan stated. "We need to call in the forensics team to gather evidence."

Perotta nodded. "I already called it in."

Booth pulled out his cell phone. "I'm going to call and put out an APB for Tristian Howards. He's not here, but he's gotta be somewhere."

oOo

Darkness was beginning to take over. The bright blue skies had long since been colored by the pinks, oranges, and purples of the setting sun. The blood-red harvest moon was raising high in the sky, casting a faint red glow over the crime scene.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Booth asked when he felt Brennan's presence at his side.

Brennan tilted her head, and followed his eyes to the moon. "What is?"

"The moon," Booth stated.

Brennan turned back to look at him. "How can the moon be ironic?"

Booth shook his head. "It just is. The color...you know...and we're at a crime scene." He motioned to his surroundings with his arms.

"Your implying that the red color of the moon symbolizes the blood we're surrounded with, here at the crime scene," Brennan surmised.

"Yeah, it's ironic," Booth said again.

"That's not irony," Brennan stated. "The color of the moon changes depending on the type and amount of dust particles floating in the atmosphere."

Booth just nodded his head and looked back up at the moon. They stood in silence for a few moments, each contemplating their own thoughts.

"We should be done collecting evidence within the next few hours," Brennan said, getting back to the reason she had come outside. It was about time, too. The forensics team had already spent nearly three and a half hours there.

"Good," Booth nodded. He stared off into the darkness and sighed. "I just wish there was something I could do."

Brennan reached out her hand and rested it on his forearm. "I know."

"I shouldn't have waited for a warrant." Booth hung his head low. "I don't know what the hell Perotta was thinking. If I would've listened to Angela, maybe I could've gotten to Tristian before he escaped. Maybe we'd have Morgan with us, and we'd know that she was alright."

Brennan stepped closer to Booth. "This is _not_ your fault, Booth. Even if you had come here right away, you still wouldn't have made it in time to stop Tristian. Perotta had immediately sent over the FBI surveillance team, and they never even saw him leave. Which means he left before they got here. Tristian probably left right after we left his house to go talk to Kenneth Kaiser."

"Why didn't we just stick around and question Tristian anyways?" Booth asked. "We were already here, why didn't we just talk to him?"

"Because we didn't know that he was responsible," Brennan answered. "Kenneth Kaiser was a real lead for us to follow. It only made sense that we made him the priority and went to question him. He actually saw the murderer, and we knew that he could give us the answers we were looking for."

Booth nodded his head, but remained silent. He turned his attention back to the moon.

"Booth," Brennan whispered. She stepped even closer to him and placed her hand on his face. She turned his head so that he was looking at her. His face was mere inches from her own. Their breaths mingled in the chilled air. She closed the gap between them and placed a soft, reassuring kiss onto his lips.

They were pulled out of the moment by the sound of Booth's cell phone ringing. He reached into his pocket to pull out the device and answered. "Booth."

He listened to the man on the other end of the line for a moment and his eyes locked with Brennan's.

"Yes, sir. Thank you. I'll head over there now." Booth hung up the phone. A smile crossed his lips and he pulled Brennan in for a hug. A moment later he whispered, "we got him."

Brennan pulled back to look at his face. "Who? Tristian Howards?"

Booth nodded his head. "Metro police pulled him over near George Washington University. They're bringing him into the FBI now."

"Morgan?" Brennan asked.

Booth shook his head as a frown fell onto his face. "She wasn't with him. There was some blood found in the back seat of his car."

Brennan nodded her head. "Have the FBI send the car over to the Jeffersonian so my people can take a look."

oOo

"I really think I could kill this man," Sweets said as he watched Perotta question Tristian through the two-way mirror of the interrogation room.

"Dr. Sweets, did you even really know Morgan?" Brennan questioned.

Sweets shook his head.

"I fail to see how you can have such a strong reaction to this man's presence when you have no direct link to the victim," Brennan stated.

"He feels bad, because he empathizes with us, Bones," Booth gritted out as he watched the interrogation.

"How can the two of you be so calm and unaffected by this?" Sweets questioned.

Booth sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. His focus remained on Tristian Howards.

"We can't let our emotions get in the way of our jobs," Brennan explained. "No matter how much we despise the psycho who's responsible."

The three of them went quiet to watch the scene play out in front of them.

"I'm going to say this one more time," Perotta stated. "Things will be much better for you if you start cooperating."

Tristian sat in the chair in silence. He stared at Perotta with a sick grin on his face.

"Where is Morgan Johnson?"

Tristian remained silent.

Perotta tried again. "Where were you driving from when Metro police pulled you over?"

She was met with silence.

"Where is Morgan Johnson?" she pushed one more time. She sat down on the edge of the table. "What do I need to do to get you to talk to me?"

Tristian shook his head and began to laugh. "I'm not going to talk to _you_."

"Then who will you talk to?" Perotta asked.

Tristian smiled at her. "Hmm...lets see." He began to ponder who he'd like to speak with. "Mmm...I got it! I'd like a little one-on-one time with the good doctor."

Perotta lifted her eyes to the mirror. "You'd like to speak with Dr. Brennan?"

Tristian nodded his head. "I would enjoy that very much."

oOo

"No way in hell are you going in there!" Booth protested.

"It's not like I'm really going to be alone with him," Brennan argued. "You'll be watching and listening to everything from the observation room."

"He wants you alone for some reason," Booth stated. "I'm not going to let that happen unless I know what those reasons are."

"Listen, I know you're just being a protective alpha male," Brennan pointed out, "but every second he _doesn't_ talk is a second Morgan is suffering through. If he wants to talk to me, we might as well let him."

Brennan walked out the door, passing Perotta on the way.

"I take it you're fine with speaking to him?" Perotta asked.

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" Brennan questioned.

Perotta shook her head. "Be my guest." She handed Brennan an earpiece. "Put this in so we can talk to you and advise you on what to say when you're speaking with Tristian."

"I don't need any help," Brennan began to protest. "But I see the logic in why you'd want to be able to speak to me." She took the earpiece and put it in.

Perotta nodded to her and then pointed to the interrogation room door. "Be careful, and get your girl back."

Brennan nodded and then walked into the room. Tristian was seated at the table staring at his hands. He looked up when he heard the click of the door as it closed.

"Dr. Brennan," Tristian greeted. His eyes wandered over her body. "You still look just as amazing as the last time I saw you. Only now, you're looking a little tired. Nothing we can't fix though." He winked at her.

"Where is she, Tristian," Brennan asked as she sat down on the chair in front of him.

Tristian shook his head. "Not yet. I've got some things I'd like to talk to you about first."

Brennan rolled her eyes. "And what might that be?"

Tristian shrugged his shoulder. "Eh. This and that."

"Quit being vague, Tristian," Brennan scolded. "What is it that you want?"

"First, I said I wanted to be alone with you. Take out the earpiece."

_"Don't do it, Bones," Booth protested_.

Brennan raised one of her eyebrows and then reached out to pull out the small device. She set it onto the table.

"Good girl," Tristian smiled. "Now, I know that there are people standing on the other side of that glass watching and listening to everything. I can't have that." He motioned for her to lean in. She did so, hesitantly. He leaned forwards so that he could whisper into her ear. "You destroy the evidence, get me out of here, I'll tell you exactly where you're going to find her."

Brennan pulled back slightly and looked towards the mirror, as if considering his offer. After a moment, she turned back to face him. "I can't do that for you."

Tristian shrugged his shoulder again. "Well then, I can't help you."

"Just tell me where she is, Tristian," Brennan said. "You don't want to add another murder onto the list of charges against you.

"You're correct, Dr. Brennan. As always," Tristian stated. "You know, I may have another offer for you."

"What is it?" Brennan questioned.

"Well, since I'm going to be in prison and everything," Tristian used his hands to motion between himself and her. "How about you pay me a nice little visit in the conjugal trailer? I can tell that your precious Agent Booth ain't treating you the right way."

Brennan pushed herself up from her seat. "We're done here." She walked towards the door.

"You're never going to find her, you know," Tristian laughed. "I've made sure of that. I've made sure that she'll never come back."

Brennan stopped in her tracks and turned around.

The sound of Tristian's laughter continued to bounce off the walls.

Brennan's anger rose within her, and she was unable to contain it. She marched back over to Tristian and punched him in the face.

His laughter stopped, and he grabbed her wrist. "I'm getting to you ain't I, Dr. Brennan?" He laughed some more.

She twisted her arm so that she could get a grip on his hand. She bent it until she heard the satisfying crack of the bone breaking. "I _will_ find her."

She turned around and saw Booth standing in the doorway. He smiled and said, "that was _so_ hot."

Brennan smiled back at him. "See, I told you I could take care of myself."

**AN: I actually really enjoyed writing this chapter. Let me know what y'all thought of it.**


	36. Chapter 36

**AN: A nice long chapter for you. I couldn't find a good place to break it up...**

CHAPTER 36:

It had been one week and six days since the FBI arrested Tristian Howards. That is, thirteen unsuccessful days spent searching for any sign of Morgan. Thirteen days of searching traffic cameras, checking in with local hospitals for any Jane Doe matching her description, and combing over every piece of evidence found at the crime scene. And finally, thirteen visits to the prison where Brennan pleaded with Tristian for information about what he did with Morgan.

That's not to say that they hadn't made any progress. The squints were confident that they had gathered enough evidence to get a conviction in the case, to put Tristian behind bars for the rest of his life.

Angela had found footage of the FBI press conference on the VHS tape labeled 'For Morgan'. Sweets theorized that Tristian had forced Morgan to watch the video as a form of torture. Upon questioning Tristian, Sweets discovered that not only did he make Morgan watch the film as a form of emotional torture, he had made her watch it multiple times while physically and sexually assaulting her as well.

Cam and the FBI techs who were scouring over the evidence had found traces of semen and vaginal fluids on the sheets from the upstairs bedroom, on the ugly green couch from the living room, and in the basement near where the victims were tied up. Morgan's blood was found in all of those places, as well as in the bathroom and in the freezer. Blood belonging to all of the other victims were also found in the freezer and in the basement.

As far as the evidence from Tristian's car is concerned, the blood found in the backseat was confirmed as belonging to Morgan Johnson. Cam also determined that, based on the blood patterns in the backseat, Morgan was still alive when she was moved from Tristian's house.

Hodgins found particulates on the tires, but they were common to various areas in and around the DC metro area. He did, however find one thing he was unable to explain: _Erythronium rostratum_-also known as the Yellow Troutlily-a rare yellow flower not native to DC or any of the surrounding states. In fact, the closet place where _Erythronium rostratum_ could be found was in eastern Kentucky. Nobody had any idea as to why particulates from this rare flower were found on the carpet inside of Tristian's car.

All of the squints have been working nonstop during these past thirteen days. And nobody showed any signs of slowing down. Everybody was on edge, but no one more than Brennan. During the day, she rarely left the lab, except for the daily trips she made to the prison. Booth was forced to drag her out of her office every night, much to her protests about how they should be focusing on finding Morgan, rather than enjoying such luxuries as food and sleep.

"Bones," Booth pleaded. "You gotta eat lunch."

"I don't _have _to do anything," Brennan protested. She was seated at her desk, looking through case files she had read a thousand times before. She was searching for the one sign, that one piece of evidence, that would point to where Morgan was located.

Booth rolled his eyes. He got up off of the couch and walked over so that he was standing in front of her desk. "You didn't eat breakfast or lunch today, Bones. You need to eat. I don't want you running yourself down to the ground."

Brennan shook her head, her eyes never leaving the file. "I don't know what that means."

Booth walked around the desk and put his hands on her arms, forcing her to turn and look at him. "It means that you need to eat food to keep your energy up so that we can continue the search. You are of no use if you're tired, weak, and unable to concentrate."

"Your logic is sound," Brennan conceded after a few silent moments. She sighed and then continued. "Let me go grab my coat."

Booth stepped back so that Brennan could walk over to her coat rack. He was worried about her. Brennan was naturally a workaholic. But when a case becomes personal, it's nearly impossible to get her to stop working until the case is closed and all loose ends have been tied.

He was startled from his thoughts when his phone began to ring. He pulled out his phone and looked at the caller ID. Cullen. He flipped open the phone and put it up to his ear. "Booth...yes sir...I understand...we'll be there in a few minutes."

Brennan walked back over to Booth, curious as to what the phone call was about. When he put his phone back into his pocket, she spoke up. "Who was that?"

Booth turned around and looked at her. His eyes were different, more sad. He cleared his throat before answering. "Um...that was Cullen. A couple of high school kids found a body."

_'Of course we have another case. As if we don't have enough on our plates already with the search for Morgan,'_ Brennan thought as she stepped even closer to Booth.

"Let me just get my equipment," Brennan stated. She turned and began to walk out of her office.

"Bones, wait," Booth said. He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck.

Brennan paused in her doorway. "What is it, Booth?" When he didn't reply, she walked closer to him. "Booth?"

"The...um...the remains were found in Rock Creek Park."

Brennan's eyes widened with realization. "Morgan?"

"You'll have to tell me that," Booth stated.

Brennan nodded her head. "Let me just grab my stuff."

oOo

The drive to the crime scene was relatively quick. Traffic was light, and Booth made good use of the siren in his SUV. Neither partner spoke much during the drive, both fearing what they were about to see. When they finally arrived, Brennan walked straight over to the remains while Booth greeted the local police and spoke to the kids who found the body. Agent Perotta was already on the scene, taking statements. After the normal pleasantries and initial inquiries, Booth made his way over to Brennan.

"Well?" Booth prompted. "What do you know?"

Brennan remained crouched near the remains and looked up at Booth. "Female. 18-25. Obviously an advanced stage of decomposition. There are signs of animal and insect activity, which aided in decomposition. The victim has been here at least a week, possibly more."

Booth inhaled slowly before exhaling deeply. "So it could be her?"

"Yes," Brennan agreed. "But there's more. All of the victim's teeth have been removed. In fact, the skull as a whole is extremely damaged. It'll make getting a positive ID rather difficult. From what I can see of the bones, the victim seems to have suffered a pattern of abuse. But, I'll know more once the bones are cleaned."

Perotta walked up to join the partners. "Anything else, Dr. Brennan?"

"Yes, there is," Brennan admitted. "See the clothes on the victim?"

Both Booth and Perotta looked down at the scraps of clothing. Booth furrowed his eyebrows, then said, "There's not much clothes there, Bones."

"My point exactly," Brennan stated. "They appear to have been cut or torn off of the victim, then placed back on." Brennan paused for a moment to consider the best way to phrase her next sentence. "They bear a marked resemblance to the clothes we saw Morgan wearing in the DVD that was sent to you."

"It's her," Booth said. "It has to be."

"I didn't say that," Brennan protested. "And quite frankly, I'm not prepared to make that kind of statement." Brennan turned her attention to Perotta. "I need everything sent back to the lab."

oOo

"Mr. Bray, when you are finished cleaning the bones, I would like for you to come find me," Brennan stated. Brennan flicked her eyes up to the two FBI techs standing in the corner of the platform, overseeing the process. Brennan rolled her eyes in annoyance. "We can begin our initial assessment at that time."

"Yes, Dr. Brennan," Wendell replied. "Since the skull is so badly damaged and we won't be able to compare dental records, how will we go about getting identification?"

"Booth will be bringing over Morgan's medical records for us to compare to the remains," Brennan stated. "He's currently in a meeting with Caroline to discuss Vincent's situation, but he'll come straight here when he's done. I would like to have access to the remains by then."

Wendell nodded his head.

Brennan took off her latex gloves and walked over to Hodgins's station, ignoring the FBI techs' questioning stares. "Have you gotten anything off of the clothes?"

"I was able to pull a few strands of hair," Hodgins stated. "I'm examining them now, but they appear to be from at least three different people."

"Three?" Brennan questioned. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Hodgins said. "One strand definitely belongs to Tristian Howards. We can definitely connect him to this body."

Brennan took a deep breath. "And the other two strands?"

"I'm waiting for some of the FBI techs to bring Morgan's hairbrush from her dorm room, so that I can compare them to it. I'll let you know when I find something."

"Thank you, Dr. Hodgins," Brennan said. She began to leave, but hesitated as a thought ran through her mind. She turned back to Hodgins. "With this third strand of hair, is it possible that Tristian Howards had an accomplice?"

A voice from the other side of the platform answered her question. "That's highly unlikely, Dr. Brennan."

Brennan turned around to look at the man. "And what makes you say that, Dr. Sweets?"

"From what I have been able to determine through my interviews with Tristian," Sweets began, "he works alone. He displays a personal interest in all of the victims. He sees them as_ his_ girls. He wouldn't share that any other man."

"A personal interest in all of his victims?" Brennan questioned. "When would he have been able to develop a personal interest in Morgan?"

"He was a TA in one of her classes, I believe she said in her Existentialism class," Sweets answered. "Plus, when he realized the connection between her, you, and Agent Booth, he knew she'd be perfect for him."

Brennan shifted her weight from one foot to another. "I don't understand."

"He was looking for another girl," Sweets began to explain. "There was most likely some initial attraction there, but when he realized the significance of her relationship to the lead investigator in the case-"

"The day we brought him into the FBI to speak with him about the issue with the press," Brennan interrupted. "He was there, he saw Morgan with us."

"Yes, I remember," Sweets stated. "He most likely began to form his plan at that very moment. Tristian is not the type of person who acts without a plan. The whole media circus...he started that to make it more difficult for us to continue with our investigation."

"If you are correct in your theory, Dr. Sweets, about Tristian acting alone," Brennan said, "then who could this third strand of hair belong to?"

"Any number of people," Sweets answered. "The kids who found the body, local police who first showed up on the scene, anyone here at the lab..."

"No, Dr. Sweets," Hodgins interrupted. "All three strands of hair were found on the _inside _of the clothing."

"It's highly unlikely that it could haven fallen in there from any of the possibilities you listed," Brennan explained.

"There must be some explanation," Sweets stated. "I am totally positive that this guy worked alone."

Brennan nodded her head. "Let me know when you find anything else, Dr. Hodgins." Brennan turned around and exited the platform, making her way over to Angela's office.

"Hey, sweetie," Angela greeted. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine," Brennan stated too quickly. It had become a reflex. "Have you been able to determine if the clothes found on the victim are the same as those seen in the DVD?"

Angela looked at Brennan, not quite believing that Brennan was truly okay. "Sweetie, I know your not fine. None of us are fine." Angela's eyes began to water. "I'm certainly not fine."

Brennan felt Angela's pain, and found tears beginning to form in her own eyes. Brennan inhaled deeply, then quickly and audibly exhaled. "I know, Ange. But I...I can't do this right now. I need to stay focused, detached, or else the FBI won't let me continuing working on the case."

Angela nodded. "Yeah, I understand."

Brennan was quiet for a moment, before stepping closer to Angela. "So, the clothes?"

"They appear to be a perfect match," Angela said. "After viewing the tapes and visually comparing it to the clothing found on the victim, well, they're torn and cut in exactly the same places."

Brennan crossed her arms over her chest and looked down to the floor.

"So, so far everything says this is Morgan?" Angela asked.

"It appears that way," Brennan said. "But I still need to examine the remains. I should have access to them within the next half hour."

"Bones!" Booth called out from somewhere in the lab, startling both Angela and Brennan. They heard Cam inform him that Brennan was in Angela's office. A few moments later, he appeared in the doorway. "Hey, Bones. How're you holding up?"

"I'm fine," Brennan simply said. "Did you sort everything out for Mr. Nigel-Murray?"

Booth nodded his head. "The meeting with Caroline went fine. Tyrell isn't pressing charges. I dropped Vincent off at his house before coming here."

"That was very kind of you," Brennan stated. Brennan nodded to the file Booth held in his hand. "Are those Morgan's medical records?"

"Yeah, they are," Booth answered. "There's not much here though. She never really went to the doctor except for the mandatory vaccinations required by the school district. And a few trips to the emergency room."

"Can I see?" Brennan asked as she took the file from Booth's hands. "Most of the hospital visits were due to flesh wounds and bruises." Brennan looked through the file more. "She was treated for a Colles fracture on the right distal radius when she was 13."

Angela shifted her stance and put her hand onto her hip. "So if the body doesn't have that fracture, then it's not Morgan."

"Yes," Brennan agreed. She kept looking at the file. "Even if this remodeled fracture is present, the remains may still not be hers. Colles fractures are very common, consisting of up to 90% of all wrist injuries."

"Is that the only identifying mark in her records?" Booth asked.

"It appears so," Brennan stated. "It's definitely our best lead. Angela, could you make up a profile based on the DVD of all the injuries Morgan had sustained while Tristian was filming?"

Angela nodded. "Yeah sure, sweetie. No problem."

"And when I'm done looking at the skull, I'd like you to see if there's any way you can get a facial reconstruction."

"It won't be 100% accurate, but I can try."

"Thanks, Ange," Brennan replied. "Mr. Bray should almost be done cleaning the bones. I should head onto the platform. Are you coming, Booth?"

Booth nodded his head. "Yeah. I'll talk to Cam, and she can go over everything you've already found."

Booth and Brennan left Angela's office without another word.

"Oh, Dr. Brennan!" Wendell greeted as Brennan walked up the stairs of the platform. "I've just finished laying out the bones."

"Good," Brennan said, once again ignoring the FBI techs in their presence. She pulled on her latex gloves and then stepped up to the autopsy table. "What are your initial observations?"

"The victim was approximately 1.63 meters tall," Wendell began. "As you have already noted, the victim is female, aged 18-25."

"Yes, that is correct," Brennan agreed. Brennan picked up the skull. "The skull seems to have been hit numerous times. The fractures appear to have occurred postmortem." She set the skull back onto the table. "Mr. Bray I would like you to take measurements and determine what weapon could have caused this damage. When you are through, give the skull to Angela so she can attempt to provide a facial reconstruction for us."

"Yes, Dr. Brennan," Wendell stated. He picked up the skull and walked off the platform and into one of the examination rooms.

Booth walked up behind Brennan. "Anything new?"

"I've only just begun my examination, Booth." Brennan picked up the right distal radius.

Booth rolled his eyes. "I know that, but what have we got so far?"

Brennan flashed her eyes up to meet Booth's. "The victim was about 1.63 meters tall."

"And in American? How tall would that be?"

"Roughly 5 feet 4 inches," Brennan stated. She squinted at one end of the radius. "Colles fracture."

Booth looked between Brennan and the bone in her hand. "The wrist fracture that Morgan has?"

"Yes. There appears to be a completely remodeled Colles fracture on the right distal radius." Brennan set the bone back onto the table and wrote something down into her notepad. She picked up one of the ribs and studied it closely.

"Interesting," Brennan mused aloud.

"What's that, Bones?"

"The bone density appears to be within the normal range," Brennan stated.

"That's a good thing, right?" Booth clarified.

"It's a _very_ good things," Brennan smiled.

Booth cocked his head in a questioning manner.

Brennan sighed and put down the bone. She turned to look at Booth. "Morgan's medical files state several concerns about malnutrition. In people where malnutrition occurs, the bone density is far less than in those who have a normal, healthy diet."

Booth nodded his head. "But malnutrition was never confirmed?"

"No," Brennan replied. "It was only suspected. No tests were ever done to determine the accuracy of the doctor's suspicions. But knowing what I know about Morgan's past, it is more than plausible that she was undernourished as a child."

"Hey, Bren-"

Brennan turned away from Booth to find Angela walking up the stairs.

"I've finished mapping out the injuries from the DVD," Angela informed them. She grabbed the remote for the screen and started pressing some buttons. The screen showed a skeleton with some damage points marked on it. "Now, from what the video showed, Morgan sustained substantial injuries to her ribs. Her ankle also appeared to be either severely sprained or broken. She also had a few cuts on her abdomen, which could've penetrated deep enough to hit the bone. Finally, Tristian stabbed Morgan right about here..." Angela pointed to a spot on the screen near Morgan's right kidney.

"Thanks, Ange," Brennan said. "I'll compare these to the victim's remains. Wendell should be bringing you the skull for a facial reconstruction."

"Yeah, it's in my office right now," Angela replied. "I'm going to start working on it now." She turned around and walked back into her office.

Before Brennan could get back to work on the remains, Hodgins came over to reveal his most recent findings. "Dr. Brennan, I've finished analyzing the blood found on the clothing."

Brennan took a deep breath, preparing herself for the answer. "And what did you find?"

"Results confirmed that it belongs to Morgan."

Brennan looked down in an attempt to hide the tears forming in her eyes. The last thing she needed was for the FBI techs to see her became emotionally distraught because of the case and take over." Are you finished analyzing the hair that was found?"

Hodgins nodded his head. "As I already said, the first strand has already been confirmed as belonging to Tristian Howards. The FBI techs had brought me Morgan's hairbrush to compare with the other two strands. One definitely belonged to her."

"And the third strand?" Brennan questioned.

"I've got nothing to compare it to," Hodgins said. "All I know is that it does not belong to Morgan or Tristian."

Once again, Brennan nodded her head. She then dismissed him. "Thank you Dr. Hodgins." She turned back to the autopsy table and resumed her examination.

"Dr. Brennan," Wendell said as he made his way back onto the platform. "It was a baseball bat."

Brennan straightened her stance so that she was no longer leaning over the autopsy table. "The weapon that caused the damage to the skull?"

Wendell nodded. "Yes. It was a cylindrical object that was the same diameter as what was found on the other victims. It was a baseball bat."

"Thank you, Mr. Bray," Brennan said. "I would like you to help me compare the injuries on the remains to the injuries mapped out on the screen."

Wendell pulled on a pair of latex gloves and began to help Brennan with the remains.

oOo

The following day, Agent Perotta arrived at the lab for a status update. "Good afternoon, Dr. Brennan. Do you have a positive ID on our victim?"

Brennan briefly looked up from the remains to acknowledge Perotta's presence, but chose to remain silent. She made another note in her notepad.

"Dr. Brennan?" Perotta prompted. "ID?"

Brennan slammed her pen down on the table and straightened her stance. "I'm not prepared to make a statement about that yet."

Perotta crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, would you care to share what you've found so far?"

Brennan rolled her eyes and then began to explain the team's findings. Perotta was silent throughout the explanation, intently watching Brennan as she interpreted the facts.

"Alright, Dr. Brennan," Perotta began. "Thank you. You will no longer need to continue working with the remains."

"What! Why?" Brennan said, her loud outraged voice echoed throughout the lab.

"We have more than enough evidence to positively ID the victim as Morgan Johnson. I'll have the FBI techs deal with the remains from here on out."

"You can't do that!" Brennan yelled, her voice raising even higher. "I haven't declared that the victim is Morgan Johnson with 100% accuracy. There are some anomalies that need further examination."

Perotta sighed and stepped closer to Brennan. "What you've already found, it's enough for us. It's her, Dr. Brennan. I know you don't want to give up hope, but the evidence says it's her."

"It's not conclusive!" Brennan protested. "I need more time with the remains. At the moment, I'm only about 90% certain the remains belong to Morgan."

"And that's a pretty high percentage, isn't it?" Perotta questioned. "Look, I know you don't want to admit it, but it's her. You said it yourself; the clothes, the hair, and the injuries match up. Even Angela's facial reconstruction was very similar."

"It was _similar_, not an_ exact_ match," Brennan stated.

"The skull was too badly damaged to get an exact match, Dr. Brennan," Perotta replied. "You know that."

"But Morgan's remains should show evidence of malnutrition," Brennan reasoned. "The victim's remains did not."

"Suspicions of malnutrition were never confirmed," Perotta said. "It's not enough reason to prolong this. I'm sorry, Dr. Brennan, but you're just trying to come up with excuses so you don't have to admit what is right in front of you."

"Dr. Hodgins still hasn't been able to explain the third strand of hair that was found," Brennan stated. "Nor has he been able to determine the origin of that flower he found in Tristian's car."

"Neither of those things have anything to do with determining whether or not the victim is Morgan," Perotta replied. "He can continue working on that while the FBI finishes processing the remains and prepares to release them to her family."

"No!" Brennan shouted. She placed herself between Perotta and the remains, in a protective stance. "I'm not letting you take her until I'm an 100% certain that these remains belong to her."

The argument between Brennan and Perotta got the attention of almost everyone in the lab. All work had stopped as they watched the women in shock.

Booth walked out of Brennan's office, instantly feeling the tension in the air. "What the hell is going on out here?" He looked between the two women who were staring at each other on the platform. Booth made his way up to join them. He looked at the workers who were gathered around and yelled to them. "Get back to work." He turned his attention back to the women in front of him. "Bones, what's going on?"

Brennan didn't answer, she remained in her rigid stance while she stared at Perotta.

Perotta never broke eye contact but answered Booth's question. "We've determined that the remains belong to Morgan Johnson. Dr. Brennan refuses to acknowledge that fact, and she refuses to let my FBI team take control of the remains."

"It's not Morgan," Brennan gritted out. "It can't be. It's impossible."

"Dr. Brennan, I'm taking you off of this case," Perotta stated. "You're too close, too emotional. Now, we will be taking the remains to finish processing the evidence. We will release them to Dr. Saroyan, as a member of Morgan's family, for burial when we are done." Perotta motioned for the two FBI techs who were with her to gather the remains.

Brennan refused to move out of the way.

Booth stepped over to Brennan. "Bones. Bones?" He grabbed her arm. "Come here." He pulled her into his arms. "Come on. Let's go into your office while Perotta does her thing."

Brennan allowed Booth to guide her down the stairs and into her office. Once they were inside with the door closed, Brennan turned to look at Booth. "That's not Morgan."

"Bones, the evidence-" Booth began, but he was interrupted.

"Was _not _conclusive!"

"It certainly points in that direction," Booth explained. "I know that you don't want this to be true, but it is. I know you're just listening to your heart, which is a _good_ thing, but you taught me the importance of evidence. You can't ignore the facts."

"Booth, that can't be her," Brennan said with tears in her eyes.

"It is," Booth choked out. "I don't want it to be, but it is." He pulled Brennan into his embrace. She broke down in his arms. She was finally beginning to accept the facts. Or so he thought.

**AN: Only one chapter left. Then either an epilogue, or just jumping right in to the sequel. Stay tuned!**


	37. Chapter 37

**AN: I just want to say thank you so much to everyone who has read this story and stuck with me this long! I'm just amazed at how supportive y'all can be. So thank you so much! I'm so glad that so many of you are interested in a sequel. I'll try to post that first chapter this weekend :D**

**Until then, ENJOY!**

CHAPTER 37:

It was a day they wished wouldn't come. If possible, they'd do everything in their power to go back in time and change everything. Brennan knew that was impossible though, and that thinking in such as way was ridiculous and unproductive. In reality, they couldn't change anything. What happened, happened. Nothing could change the past. However, they can, and adamantly will, pursue justice. They will make sure Tristian gets what he deserves.

But justice will only get them so far. It won't bring back the one they lost. Aside from her meltdown in Booth's arms, Brennan had been able to compartmentalize her emotions. She hadn't let on that she was unwilling to accept Morgan's death. There was no 100% certainty in identifying the remains. The logical side of Brennan knew that the evidence suggested that the remains were, in fact, those of Morgan Johnson. But something wouldn't let Brennan admit defeat, whether it be a 'gut' feeling or her intelligence telling her that things didn't really add up. Could she really accept that Morgan was gone forever? No, she couldn't. As illogical as it sounded, her heart was telling her not to give up hope, despite the fact that her mind was taking this at face value; Morgan was never coming back.

Brennan never really understood the significance of having a huge ceremony for a funeral. Once somebody dies, that's it. There is no afterlife. Once a person is dead, they can't see the people grieving, and they can't hear the people talking to them about how much they'll be missed. It took a lot of persuading, from both Booth and Angela, but Brennan agreed to attend the service. Angela had explained that she needed her best friend there for her because she couldn't handle this alone. Booth explained to Brennan that despite the religious aspect of the funeral, funerals are meant to provide closure to the people left behind. It is a way to say goodbye to a loved one and to open the door to continuing on with life without them.

Booth and Brennan arrived at Oak Hill Chapel about an hour prior to the beginning of the service. The chapel was small and quaint, yet beautiful. It was located in the historic Georgetown district of the DC metro area. The beautiful church was built in 1850, according to the cornerstone. The architecture of the chapel was modeled after the Gothic Revival, with its steeply pitched roof, buttresses, dark brick walls, red stone trim, and pointed arched stained glass windows with cream-colored tracery. The cream-colored door that served as the entrance to the chapel was protected by a wrought iron gate. It was a very pretty chapel with a lot of character. Brennan couldn't imagine a more perfect place for the funeral service to be held.

After parking the car, Booth walked over to Brennan and took her hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. They both took a deep breath before embarking on the short walk from their car to the chapel. When they got inside, they weren't at all surprised to see the people who were already there. The chapel had informed them that immediate family of the deceased were to arrive an hour before the ceremony was to begin. So that's who was here: Morgan's 'immediate' family. Cam. Michelle. Vincent. Angela. Hodgins. Wendell. Sweets. Booth. And Brennan. Despite the fact that not one of them was a blood relative of Morgan's, this was the only family that mattered. The family that was created at the Jeffersonian.

The funeral was a typical Catholic ceremony. It began with a processional. Hodgins, Wendell, Sweets, and Booth were the pallbearers. There were readings from the bible. Cam gave the first reading. Michelle gave the second. The priest lead prayers and the presentation of the gifts, which were given by Brennan and Angela. Vincent gave the eulogy. During the eulogy, he had talked about Morgan's love for music and the performing arts. For one of their dates, he had taken her to an open mic night at a bar. She had performed a cover of a song entitled "Homeless Heart" by an artist named Jennette McCurdy. He filmed her performance. In his closing remarks, he had said he wanted to leave everyone with one final performance from her. He played the video for all in attendence. He pressed 'play' and soon everyone saw her image on the screen, bringing them a fresh round of tears.

A few moments later, Morgan's voice filled the silent room. "Hello, everyone," she said nervously. "My name is Morgan Johnson, and I'm gonna perform a cover of the song 'Homeless Heart' and I hope y'all don't go too hard on me for my terrible voice," she joked, pulling a guitar strap over her shoulder. She played a few chords on the guitar before she began to beautifully sing:

_Lonesome stranger, with a crowd around you, I see who you are._

_You joke, they laugh til the show is over, then you fall so hard._

_If you're needing a soul-to-soul connection, I'll run to your side._

_When you're lost in the dark, when you're out in the cold,_

_When you're looking for something that resembles your soul,_

_When the wind blows your house of cards, I'll be a home to your homeless heart._

_Open, close me, leave your secrets with me, I can ease your pain_

_And my arms will be just like walls around you, come in from the rain_

_If you're running in the wrong direction, I will lead you back._

_When you're lost in the dark, when you're out in the cold,_

_When you're looking for something that resembles your soul,_

_When the wind blows your house of cards, I'll be a home to your homeless heart._

_Broken, shattered like a mirror, in a million pieces._

_Sooner or later you've got to find something, someone to find you and save you._

_When you're lost in the dark, when you're out in the cold,_

_When you're looking for something that resembles your soul,_

_When the wind blows your house of cards, I'll be a home to your homeless heart._

_When you're looking for something that resembles your soul,_

_When the wind blows your house of cards, I'll be a home to your homeless heart._

_I'll be a home to your homeless heart._

When the song ended, there absolutely wasn't a dry eye in the building. The priest stood up and finished the ceremony. He invited everyone to join them at the gravesite, located within the Oak Hill Cemetery, to bring Morgan to her final resting place. A few words were said from everyone as they dropped flowers onto her casket.

Wendell walked up first. "Hey Morgan, we're all gonna miss you down here. Do us a favor and keep an eye out Vincent. He's gonna need to know that someone's watching out for him."

Sweets was the next to walk up and give Morgan a flower. He may try to act fine, but in reality he was pissed. He couldn't understand why someone would take such a loving and caring person from this world. He was mad at the world, and it showed in the way his eyebrows were furrowed. "This totally sucks. Morgan, it wasn't fair what happened to you. We'll make sure you get the justice you deserve."

Hodgins and Angela were next in line to say their final goodbyes.

Hodgins took a deep breath before snapping the rubber band that was on his wrist. "I'll miss you, M. It's not going to be the same without you here." He then wrapped his arm around Angela.

"Sweetie, you were the sister I never had. I love you, girl." Angela and Hodgins both dropped their flowers, then walked away to make room for who was next.

Booth took Brennan by the hand and led her up to the casket. "Hey, kiddo. I should've gotten to you in time. I should've done my job just a little bit better. I should've been able to protect you. This is all my fault. I'm gonna miss you, kid. Keep an eye out for Cam and Michelle for me."

"Booth, this isn't your fault," Brennan whispered.

"I know," Booth replied. "But it is." He placed his flower upon her casket, then gestured for Brennan to say something.

"You know she can't hear us, right?" Brennan asked.

"She can, Bones. I believe she can," Booth explained. Brennan gave him a disbelieving stare. "Fine, then just say something that you wish you could've said to her before she died, or something you wish you could say to her now. It doesn't matter if she can hear it or not, at least you get to say it."

Brennan nodded her head. "I accept your logic." She turned her head back to the casket. "This...this isn't right, what happened to you. I may not be able to explain why someone did this to you, but I can assure you it wasn't fair." Brennan turned her head to look at Booth. He nodded for her to continue. "Despite everything I know about your past, you _are_ the most open-hearted person I've ever met. It isn't fair." Brennan refused to talk about her in the past tense. She wasn't ready to let go. Guided by her heart, the scientist in her needed to know without a doubt that she was dead. She hadn't found that certainty yet. She placed her flower a top the casket to lay with the others.

Cam and Michelle came up together. Cam had her arm around Michelle, trying to provide the strength that she, herself, didn't feel. They set their flowers down, each saying their own silent, tearful goodbyes.

Vincent was the last to go. He looked horrible, like he hadn't slept since he found out she was missing. He lost the love of his life, and his whole world came crashing down around him. He felt the guiltiest out of anybody. If he had been there with her at her dorm while she was getting ready to go to Maine, maybe she'd still be here. He could have done something to protect her. Just like Cam and Michelle, he said a silent goodbye before placing his flower on her grave.

When everyone had said their final goodbyes, the priest stepped up by the casket and gave one last reading from the bible.

oOo

"Booth," Brennan whispered. They were laying in bed, having just recently arrived at Brennan's apartment after a grief-filled gathering at the founding fathers. The entire team had gone there to get drunk after Morgan's funeral. Despite having a few drinks, both Booth and Brennan remained sober.

Booth rolled over onto his side to look at Brennan, who was laying beside him. "Yeah, what is it, Bones? You doing okay?"

Brennan rolled over to face him and propped herself up on her elbow. She looked into Booth's warm chocolate brown eyes, contemplating her next words. "I'm ready."

"Ready for what?" Booth asked, genuinely confused.

It was only a whisper, but Booth still heard Brennan's reply. "Everything."

He sat up, eagerly looking into her eyes. "I'm gonna need a little bit more info here, Bones. I'm not really keeping up with you."

She sat up so that she was on equal ground with Booth. This time, she spoke with more confidence. "Everything, Booth. I'm ready for everything. I want it all. I want us. Marriage. Kids. A family. I want it, Booth. I _do_ want it all."

Booth pulled her in for a passionate kiss. He was ecstatic about Brennan's revelation. He enjoyed the feeling of her lips moving in tandem with his. He could really get used to that. After a few minutes, he pulled away. "Are you sure about this, Bones?" He looked at her with hopeful eyes as he waited for her response.

"Yes," she said. "I am."

"And this isn't just because your emotions are running extremely high lately," Booth said. "Because of Morgan. And because we had to say goodbye to her today."

Brennan shook her head. "No. The situation may have contributed to my decision, but I'm saying this because it's what I want. If anything, Morgan taught me that life is ephemeral. And that we must live it to it's full potential. And I can't do that without you."

Booth's smile grew even wider. Despite the difficult time they had been having lately, things were really finally falling into place. Exactly how they were meant to be. Minus one member of their family, who will forever hold a special place in their hearts. He pulled her in for another passionate kiss.

When they broke apart, they both laid back down, finding comfort in each other's arms. Brennan drew lazy patterns on Booth's abdomen as he rubbed her arm with his hand. He was lulled asleep by her soothing touch and steady breathing.

When she knew for certain that Booth was asleep, Brennan allowed herself to admit her final thoughts aloud. Something she had been thinking since he questioned the motives behind her decision. "Morgan's alive, Booth. I just know it." After finally admitting that aloud, Brennan fell into a dreamless sleep for the first time in weeks.

**AN: The End. **

**No epilogue to this one. There will be a sequel, which I am working on now. I'm also working on another story that explores Hodgins's family and the reasons behind his anger management problem and his decision to put in place the proof of life policy at the Cantilever Group.**


End file.
